The race for promotion to the Premier League is heating up and here’s everything you need to know about the Championship play-offs this season.
While the top two teams in the Championship earn automatic promotion to the top flight, those who finish third to sixth battle it out in the play-offs for the final promotion place.
Widely known as the richest game in football, winning the play-off final is understood to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds due to the revenue on offer to clubs in the Premier League.
Securing promotion automatically avoids the nerves of a two-legged semi-final and a Wembley showpiece, but if your team is victorious then it’s the ultimate promise land.
For most sides that usually fight for promotion, a win at Wembley is often as good as it gets. Of course, there are notable expectations with Leicester City winning the Premier League just two seasons after gaining promotion.
As things stand, there is a 12-point gap between the top four and the rest, but the final two places in the play-offs are still up for grabs.
West Brom are currently in 5th and Norwich City are in 6th. Six points outside are Hull City who have a game in hand followed by Coventry City who are nine points adrift but with two games in hand.
The latest Championship odds can be found on the Paddy Power website and Paddy Power app, otherwise, details of the play-offs are below.
Championship play-off dates and fixtures
SEMI-FINALS
First Leg
Sunday, May 12 at 12.30pm: 6th v 3rd
Monday, May 13 at 8pm: 5th v 4th
Second Leg
Thursday, May 16 at 8pm: 3rd v 6th
Friday, May 17 at 8pm: 4th v 5th
FINAL
Sunday, May 26: TBC v TBC
If the Championship play-off final is level after 90 minutes, then two 15-minute halves of extra time will be played before a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
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