Is this the most competitive Championship season ever?
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The Championship is often touted as the most competitive and difficult league in football. But this season is taking things to a whole new level.
Wolverhampton Wanderers ran away with it last season, but things couldn’t be more different this time around.
After 16 games, just seven points separate the top 11. Wigan Athletic sit 16th, but are just 10 points off the top and only six off the play-offs.
Already each of Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City have led the way at various points.
And at the bottom, though Ipswich are struggling to keep pace, every side has already avoided defeat at least seven times this term.
The odds tell the story
Our traders have had to chop and change their Championship odds all season long, and right now, they can’t call really it.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds are favourites to win the league this season at 10/3, but Middlesbrough, Sheffield United and West Brom are chasing hard at 11/2.
Derby and Norwich are each in the hunt at 7/1 too.
The promotion market is even more competitive with Leeds heading nine other sides chalked up at 6/1 or shorter.
And the theme continues when moving on to the top-six market. An incredible 16 of the 24 sides are 7/1 or shorter to finish in the top-six this season. That’s how competitive things are right now.
Intensity won’t let up
The games keep coming thick and fast. There’ll be plenty more twists in this season’s Championship tale to come.
It kicks off this weekend with the historic Steel City derby on Friday night, as United host Wednesday in the battle for Sheffield’s bragging rights.
Frank Lampard’s impressive Derby County will look to continue their good run when they host Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon, while promotion chasing duo Nottingham Forest and Stoke City meet at the City Ground.
And then there’s another huge clash on Saturday night as Leeds look to get on over on the league’s top scorers, West Brom.
The Championship has already provided endless reams of unmissable drama, but it feels as though things are just getting started.
Click here for all our Championship odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
