Championship play-offs 2024: Will Leeds, Southampton, West Brom or Norwich prevail to reach the Premier League? – Sky Sports
Football
Both first legs are live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event on Sunday with coverage getting under way from 11am; Norwich City vs Leeds United (12pm kick-off) followed by West Bromwich Albion vs Southampton (2.15pm kick-off)
Friday 10 May 2024 06:05, UK
The Championship play-off semi-finals get under way on Sunday, but who out of Leeds, Southampton, West Brom and Norwich will prevail and reach the Premier League?
First legs – Sunday May 12
Norwich vs Leeds (12pm)
West Brom vs Southampton (2.15pm)
Second legs
Leeds vs Norwich (8pm) – Thur May 16
Southampton vs West Brom (8pm) – Fri May 17
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Final
Wembley (3pm) – Sunday May 26
Sky Sports EFL Editor Simeon Gholam:
A manager familiar with the play-offs, versus a manager familiar with promotion. David Wagner took Huddersfield through to the Premier League in 2017 against the odds, and will hope to do the same with Norwich City. While Daniel Farke, twice a Championship champion, is into the play-off mixer for the first time with Leeds United.
It has been a strange season for Norwich. They were poor for a lot of it, but had some really strong patches. They have also had an Ipswich-shaped cloud hanging over them, as their fierce East Anglian rivals blew away all-comers to achieve back-to-back promotions.
The team that finishes sixth rarely do well in the Championship play-offs but Norwich possess a real threat. In Gabriel Sara they have arguably the best midfielder in the league, and in Josh Sargent possibly the best striker. The USA international has 16 goals in just 26 appearances this season. Had he been fit for the other 20 games then the Canaries would likely have been much closer to the top two.
There is also Jonathan Rowe, just turned 21 and one of the most exciting young winners in the country, who is regaining full fitness himself after several months out. And also Borja Sainz, who didn’t start a game until December but has come into his element in the second half of the season on the left wing. Sargent flanked by Rowe and Sainz, with Sara just behind, is enough to cause any side problems.
Leeds rather limped into the play-offs in the end but have their own weapons to power to promotion. Crysencio Summerville was Championship Player of the Season, scoring 19 times and with nine assists.
Forward Georginio Rutter, while perhaps lacking on the goal front, proved himself to be a chance-creating wizard from open play, with 15 assists to his name. On the other flank, Wilfried Gnonto enjoyed a very fruitful second half of the season after he settled back into the club. It is easy to forget he is an Italian international and still just 20 years old.
Sky Sports EFL Editor Simeon Gholam:
Here are two sides who have had a long time to think about the play-offs. West Brom occupied fifth place for 29 of the final 30 gameweeks of the season, briefly dipping as low as sixth in gameweek 45. Southampton, meanwhile, were 5th, 4th or 3rd in the table for all but two gameweeks since mid-October.
Carlos Corberan has play-off experience – albeit not the entirely successful kind. He was part of Marcelo Bielsa’s coaching setup at Leeds United – that exited against Derby in 2019 at the semi-final stage – before taking Huddersfield to Wembley in 2022, losing to Nottingham Forest in the final.
But there are still few managers you would want in charge of your club more for a few one-off games than one of the league’s master tactician. He also has real quality at his disposal with the likes of Mikey Johnston and Grady Diangana in attacking positions. Perhaps the one thing they do lack is a natural goalscorer. Brandon Thomas-Asante is their top Championship scorer with just 11 goals.
In the red corner is Southampton. Russell Martin has a very specific philosophy, and you fear for anyone trying to get the ball off the Saints on that huge Wembley carpet, should they make the final.
It also bodes well for Southampton that they have beaten West Brom twice already this season. And in Adam Armstrong they have a forward with 21 goals and 13 assists to his name.
The stats suggest that since 2004/05 the formbook does, largely, go out of the window for the play-offs…
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Leeds have appeared in the EFL play-offs five times and have failed to seal promotion on any occasion.
Southampton have just one EFL play-off appearance so far, losing to Derby County in the Championship semi-final in 2006/07.
West Brom have four EFL play-off appearances, winning just once in the third tier. They have never won through in the Championship play-offs.
Norwich have two EFL play-off appearances, both in the second tier, winning promotion once.
In the 19 Championship play-off campaigns there have been since 2004/05, the team that has finished third has by far the most wins. The team that finishes sixth has the least. Blackpool in 2010 were the last team to occupy the final play-off place and seal promotion.
Sky Sports duo Simeon Gholam and David Prutton reveal their Sky Sports Championship team of the season for 2023/24.
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