Three sides in danger of losing their Championship status this year
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This is gearing up to be one of the most exciting season’s we’ve ever seen in the Championship, both at the top and the bottom of the table.
While Newcastle United lead the way, Rotherham are holding up the rest of the table as they sit in 24th-place. And they’re as good as down according to our traders, who make them 1/66 favourites for the drop.
It’s no surprise they’re that short, either, having officially got off to the joint-worst start in Championship history. The last team to have just seven points to speak of after 18 games? Rotherham, again, back in 2003-04.
So with the Millers all but down already, it leave two more relegation spots to be claimed come next May. And we reckon there are three teams in particular that are currently in dangerous territory near the bottom of the table.
Burton Albion – 11/8
The Brewers enjoyed a fairly solid start to life in the Championship having previously never managed to reach any higher than the third tier of English football.
But it’s all got a little quiet in recent weeks, with Nigel Clough’s men winning just one of their last seven games.
That puts them in 20th-place in the league right now, just one point ahead of the relegation zone.
Last year Rotherham managed to avoid the drop with 49 points, Burton are 30 points off that target which should see them safe this season, and they have the opportunity to add to that tally when the Millers visit the Pirelli Stadium this weekend.
Failure to win though could see Burton in the bottom three for the first time this season.
Barnsley – 11/4
The Tykes have been on a horrendous run of form of late in the league, winning just one of their last 11 games.
And that’s after they picked up 15 points from a possible 21 at the start of the season.
It’s hard to specifically put your finger on just where things have gone wrong for Paul Heckingbottom’s men in the last few weeks. Finding the net hasn’t been a problem, they’ve managed to score more than 20 other teams in the division.
But they’ve also conceded an awful lot, too – more than 19 other sides.
Five of their 29 goals conceded cam last time out at home to fellow strugglers, Nottingham Forest. And that result only further emphasised that there’s only one direction this club is heading in at the moment – and it’s down.
Up next? A trip to high-fliers Birmingham City. Their task is simple – stop the rot.
Norwich City – 200/1
Hear us out with this one.
They may be in eighth position in the league right now, but that’s not telling the whole story. For starters, they’re only nine points ahead of the relegation zone.
And a quick look at the form guide tells you just how worrying the next few months could potentially be for the Canaries.
They’ve lost their last six games in all competitions, and are a shadow of their earlier selves this season.
This is an absolutely crucial month for Norwich, one which may well map out their destiny. With fixtures coming thick and fast, Alex Neil’s men will travel to Barnsley, Reading and Brentford as well as hosting the latter, Aston Villa and Huddersfield.
They’re certainly no strangers to League One, having played there back in 2009-10.
And they wouldn’t be the first side to taste back-to-back relegations from the top-flight down to the third tier, either.
It’s something Wolverhampton Wanderers experienced just four seasons ago. They went down on 51 points. The East Anglia outfit are 24 points off that figure, but such a tally seems a million miles away when you look at their current form.
So what do supporters think? Who can you see going down? Let us know in the comments section below!
Click here for a full list of Championship relegation odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
