Cardiff City and Swansea City are expected to pull away from the relegation battle, according to the bookmakers.
The mid-season transfer window has come and gone, with Bluebirds supporters largely content with how their club's business went, while Swansea fans are livid with the lack of activity, particularly in light of the departure of their former captain and talisman Matt Grimes.
Cardiff have been embroiled in a battle at the foot of the table for most of this season and Bluebirds fans have rightly feared the drop for much of the campaign. A dreadful run before the turn of the year seemed to spell disaster. But an upturn in results in January has aided their cause, seeing them come jump up to 19th and four points clear of the drop.
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Swansea enjoyed a steady first half of the season and even looked like outside contenders to muscle into the play-off race, however a string of terrible results has dragged them down the table, with some fans even believing they might get dragged into the relegation battle after such a poor transfer window.
However, the bookmakers believe both Welsh clubs will be safe - with both teams expected to jump one place, Cardiff to 18th and Swansea to 16th before - while tipping Plymouth Argyle and Derby County to go down and also backing Luton Town to suffer back-to-back relegations.
At the other end of the table, Leeds United are expected to be crowned champions, with Chris Wilder's Sheffield United going up in second place. That means Burnley, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and West Brom are being backed as the four play-off contenders, which would see Blackburn Rovers - who are currently in the top six - miss out along with the likes of Norwich City and Coventry City.
How the 2024/25 Championship table is expected to finish
Leeds
Sheffield Utd
Burnley
Sunderland
Middlesbrough
West Brom
Norwich
Coventry
Bristol City
Blackburn
Sheffield Wednesday
Watford
Millwall
QPR
Preston
Swansea
Oxford
Cardiff
Hull
Stoke
Portsmouth
Luton
Derby
Plymouth
(Courtesy of SkyBet. 18+)
