The season is starting to wrap up but the Championship relegation scrap remains a complicated picture with multiple teams still embroiled in it. Here’s a rundown of those clubs who still have a reasonable chance of relegation.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
The two teams directly above the once Premier League champions, QPR and Stoke City, don’t quite make this list as they are four points above the drop which doesn’t confirm they’ll be here next season but it would be incredibly unlikely for them to come down at this point. Blackburn themselves aren’t safe, just the three points separate them and 22nd and with the same goal difference as Birmingham (who occupy the highest relegation spot) it may be the case that the Lancashire outfit are looking over their shoulders up until the final moments of this season. Their fixtures aren’t exactly going to give them an easy time of things either, a home match against a tricky top-half Coventry City and a final day clash at home to title chasers Leicester City. They’ve picked up some form at just the right time, from mid-December to the end of March they could only muster one win out of 18 Championship games but they broke that rut with a 5-1 win against us (of course). Since then they’ve done well to get a point out of Southampton at Ewood Park and even better to beat Leeds United at Elland Road, Daniel Farke’s team’s first loss at home all season. It’s not been all sunshine and roses though as in their most recent game they lost to fellow relegation fighters Sheffield Wednesday, they also recently capitulated to Bristol City 5-0. No matter what, it looks like they are set for their lowest finish in the second tier since promotion from League One back in 2018.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
For Sunderland fans who regularly travel to away games, seeing the back of Plymouth and therefore also an 800 mile round trip would be a welcome sight. The Pilgrims also bring a lot of personality to the Championship though and have a great away following so seeing them go after only one season would be a bit of a shame. A bit like Blackburn above them they have managed to find their feet at a crucial time. One win in 11 isn’t form a club who are already near the bottom of the table need by any means but they’ve been aided by seven points from a last possible 15 and it’s not too difficult of a run in for the side from Devon. Millwall away next is a game they must get something out of and Hull at home to round out the season isn’t the easiest but it’s a game they are capable of getting points from (especially if Hull City have nothing to play for). The last time Argyle (the only Argyle in the EFL) survived in the Championship was 2009, so to be able to avoid the drop would be a huge step forward for the football club.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
They were down and out at one point and few were betting they would survive but they’ve defied the odds to put survival back into their own hands. From February to March they embarked on a run of five wins from six and they’ve recently gone four unbeaten. Next up for the Owls is the visit of promotion chasing West Brom and then a trip to Wearside. Given the way we are playing, if they turn up and show some fight there’ll be at least three points for them from those two games. Whether that’s enough to survive is another question but the job Danny Rohl has done has been more than half-decent and Wednesday going down could benefit Sunderland by making it easier for us to acquire his services in the summer should we choose to go in for the 34 year old German.
BIRMINGHAM CITY
The club that ended Michael Beale’s short tenure in our dugout, Birmingham City are currently in the relegation zone but only one point from safety. They’ve got a season defining game up next as they travel to Huddersfield Town and anything less than a win for either side will probably see one of them go down (certainly in the case of Huddersfield). After that they will host Norwich City, who very well may be looking to confirm their play off spot). It’s a tough set of games and the Blues dropping points in their latest game against Rotherham could prove fatal.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
Three points from safety with two games remaining is a precarious position to be in and the aforementioned game against Birmingham is even more of a must win for the West Yorkshire side than their opponents. Given their form, I can’t imagine any of their support is feeling hopeful that they’ll be able to survive which looks like it would be a minor miracle at this point. Seven points from a possible thirty since the start of March and a 4-0 battering at the hands of Swansea City doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, nor does the fact their last game is a trip to Ipswich Town. André Breitenreiter has only won two of his 11 matches as their boss, so winning two back to back doesn’t look likely if I’m being brutally honest.
