As the English football season is coming to a close, an important question lingers: who will take the three Premier League promotion places next year? After bossing the Championship for almost the entire year, Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen their lead on the rest of the clubs almost disappear, with Cardiff City only three points back of the league leaders after an incredible run of form. However, the gap between Wolves and the automatic promotion chasers is more substantial, being 10 points clear of third-place Aston Villa and 11 clear of fourth-place Fulham. With nine games to play, it is clearly “squeaky bum time” in the words of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. I am going to analyze the remaining games for the four teams chasing two automatic promotion spots: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City, Aston Villa, and Fulham. As a result, I will predict the two teams that will be promoted automatically.
WOLVES (1st, 79 pts)
Gameweek 38: Burton (H): W
Gameweek 39: Boro (A): D
Gameweek 40: Hull (H): W
Gameweek 41: Cardiff (A): L
Gameweek 42: Derby (H): W
Gameweek 43: Birmingham (H): W
Gameweek 44: Bolton (A): W
Gameweek 45: Sheff Wed (H): W
Gameweek 46: Sunderland (A): W
Total points: 101
CARDIFF (2nd, 76 pts)
Gameweek 38: Derby (A): W
Gameweek 39: Burton (H): W
Gameweek 40: Sheff Utd (A): D
Gameweek 41: Wolves (H): W
Gameweek 42: Aston Villa (A): L
Gameweek 43: Norwich (A): D
Gameweek 44: Forest (H): W
Gameweek 45: Hull (A): W
Gameweek 46: Reading (H): W
Total points: 96
ASTON VILLA (3rd, 69 pts)
Gameweek 38: Bolton (A): W
Gameweek 39: Hull (A): W
Gameweek 40: Reading (H): W
Gameweek 41: Norwich (A): D
Gameweek 42: Cardiff (H): W
Gameweek 43: Leeds (H): W
Gameweek 44: Ipswich (A): D
Gameweek 45: Derby (H): D
Gameweek 46: Millwall (A): L
Total points: 87
FULHAM (4th, 68 pts)
Gameweek 38: QPR (H): W
Gameweek 39: Norwich (A): D
Gameweek 40: Leeds (H): W
Gameweek 41: Sheff Wed (A): W
Gameweek 42: Reading (H): W
Gameweek 43: Brentford (H): W
Gameweek 44: Millwall (A): D
Gameweek 45: Sunderland (H): W
Gameweek 46: Birmingham (A): W
Total points: 91
Final table:
- Wolves (101)
- Cardiff (96)
- Fulham (91)
- Aston Villa (87)
Even with these generous predictions for Fulham, it seems that they may not be able to catch one of the two coveted automatic promotion places if Wolves and Cardiff continue in their strong form. It would take a major capitulation for Wolves and Cardiff to lose their grip on the two automatic places. However, in “squeaky bum time,” strange things can happen. Let’s see what happens. It’s sure to be a thrilling conclusion.