Championship marathon ends with final-day sprint - who will finish second?
Who finishes second in the Championship? Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ipswich, Millwall and Middlesbrough are all battling for automatic promotion on the final day of the Championship seasonByMark DruryBBC Radio Tees Middlesbrough commentatorPublished7 minutes agoCommentsByBen AshtonBBC Sport EnglandFirst, the marathon. Now, the final sprint. Three Championship teams remain in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League.After 45 matches, it all comes down to one final-day showdown to see who can go the distance to finish as runners-up and go up along with champions Coventry City.For Ipswich Town, who occupy second spot before the last game on Saturday, 2 May, this is familiar territory as the Tractor Boys seek an instant return to the top flight.Third-placed Millwall could be returning to the promised land for the first time in 36 years, while Middlesbrough, who are fourth, are looking to end a nine-year Premier League hiatus.With these sides still dreaming of what might be, BBC Sport takes a look at who the pundits, fans and managers think will prevail.Pundits - 'Ipswich in driving seat but under pressure'Image source, ShutterstockImage caption, Only two points separate the three teams in contention for automatic promotionByGraeme McLoughlinBBC Radio SuffolkKieran McKenna has been here before.On two occasions, his Ipswich side have gone into the final Saturday at Portman Road knowing a win would guarantee promotion - and it is the same scenario this weekend.Once again, there will be an incredible welcome into the stadium and there is a strong belief that Town will get the job done.But it does feel different this time.This is, by and large, a new group of players - one that has cost tens of millions of pounds more than McKenna's former heroes.The narrative all season has been that this is a team that should go up, and one that will have failed if it does not.There has, therefore, been a level of pressure that was not present dur...المصدر: BBC Sport Football | Source: BBC Sport Football
ملاحظة تحريرية | Editorial Note: نُشر هذا المقال في الأصل بواسطة BBC Sport Football. خبر (Khabr) هي منصة إعلامية أردنية مرخّصة تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي. نضيف قيمة تحريرية من خلال: تحليل ذكي للأخبار، ملخصات تلقائية، رواية صوتية بالذكاء الاصطناعي، ترجمة متعددة اللغات، وتدقيق الحقائق. هدفنا جعل الأخبار أكثر وضوحاً وسهولةً للقارئ العربي.
This article was originally published by BBC Sport Football. Khabr is a licensed Jordanian AI-powered news platform (Registration #82086). We add editorial value through: AI-powered news analysis, automated summaries, AI audio narration, multi-language translation (Arabic, English, French, Turkish), and AI fact-checking. Our mission is to make news more accessible and understandable for Arabic-speaking audiences worldwide.




