Who Will Be Visiting The London Stadium Next Season?

Although it is a competition that is second tier in status, the EFL Championship is one that is viewed with keen outside interest by West Ham fans and that interest tends to increase in the final few weeks of the season.

That’s because not only do we see the culmination of an arduous 46 game season but there’s also the lottery, otherwise known as the playoffs, and, once that phase of proceedings is complete, we’ll know which three teams will join us in the holy grail of the Premier League.

As things stands, it looks as if Norwich will claim one of those three promotion berths by virtue of being champions. The Canaries have found form at just the right time of the campaign and are many people’s tip to lift the league trophy at the end of the season.





A feeling that is reflected when looking at the current Championship betting, in the outright market, bet365 have the East Anglian outfit priced as favourites at 1/4 on and, with such a short return, the title is very much theirs to lose.

While, because of such little value being offered on Norwich’s success, it is perhaps the race to fill the second and final promotion spot that is arguably earning more attention over these past couple of months.

Leeds and Sheffield United both would have designs on winning the Championship themselves and, although that looks like being something that is now out of their grasp, finishing runner-up instead is still definitely part of the equation.

It's an equation that admittedly looks incredibly hard to solve after recent results and, although Sheffield United won a hugely important clash against Leeds before the international break, they then undid all their hard work in the first game after March’s hiatus.

They followed up that impressive 1-0 away win with a defeat to Bristol City and that, coupled with Leeds’ home win over Millwall, meant that the Elland Road outfit snatched back second place in the Championship table.





This set of recent results only further highlights the topsy-turvy nature of the division and just why it is almost nigh on impossible to predict which of these two Yorkshire thoroughbreds will manage to win promotion to the top flight.

Of course, it is not even a guarantee that it will be one of those two aforementioned clubs and, with West Brom undergoing something of a resurgence under interim manager James Shan, they cannot be ruled out of the race either.

The decision to sack former manager Darren Moore was viewed as a harsh one, especially when you consider that the club were lying fourth at the time of his departure and, although it drew criticism from outside quarters, a change has seemingly rejuvenated this squad of talented players.

As things stand, West Brom arguably left the change a little late and they now will have too much ground to make up. However, if they can continue their recent form into the playoffs, the Baggies will be confident of a quick return to the Premier League and another visit to the London Stadium that will await them.

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