Championship Table: Supercomputer predicts final championship table after Pompey, PNE and Middlesbrough updates
The latest projection for the championship table comes after a weekend of decisive results: Pompey’s 3-1 win over Millwall lifted them into 19th and six points clear of the relegation zone, while Preston North End fell to a 1-0 derby defeat that left them 10th. Opta’s supercomputer model has used that form — with teams having between 14 and 16 games remaining — to refresh predicted end-of-season placings.
Pompey’s week in the capital and the Fratton run that followed
Pompey recorded a midweek win at Charlton Athletic and then beat third-placed Millwall 3-1 on Saturday, moving six points clear of the relegation zone and into 19th. Gustavo Caballero opened the scoring — his first goal since signing in January — before John Swift doubled the lead. Casper De Norre pulled one back for the Lions, but Marlon Pack restored Pompey’s two-goal advantage with 23 minutes remaining, and the Blues held on for the three points. The team now travels to sixth-placed Wrexham on Tuesday and will welcome fifth-placed Hull City to Fratton next Saturday. The club’s manager is referenced as Mousinho, and an image credit in coverage was Stephen Flynn/ProSportsImages.
Late drama in the Lancashire derby leaves PNE reeling
Preston North End suffered late heartbreak in the Lancashire derby on Friday as Blackburn Rovers won 1-0. With the scores goalless deep into stoppage time, Yuki Ohashi headed a 96th-minute winner to steal the points. The result dropped the Lilywhites to 10th in the standings and left the gap to the play-offs at three points after Wrexham’s 5-3 victory on Saturday. Paul Heckingbottom’s side face Swansea City in midweek before returning to Deepdale next Saturday to welcome Millwall.
Championship Table predictions: Opta supercomputer on Middlesbrough, Coventry and the top six
With the FA Cup fourth round in the history books and most Championship teams having played 32 matches (every team at least 30, some 31), Opta’s supercomputer has modelled how the top six could look with between 14 and 16 games remaining. Middlesbrough face Coventry City on Monday night in a match described as crucial for the campaign, and Opta still projects Kim Hellberg’s side to finish top of the pile come May regardless of whether the Sky Blues complete a league double over Boro.
Middlesbrough’s form under Hellberg and the Coventry challenge
Middlesbrough have been described as "more than impressive" since Hellberg arrived following a 4-2 defeat against Coventry in late November. Apart from a barren run of no goals in four games over the Christmas and New Year period, Boro have won every game under the Swedish boss, a run that erased the 10-point lead the Sky Blues held at the time of his arrival. Opta’s projection suggests Middlesbrough have what it takes to ride it out and become Champions.
Coventry, Ipswich and Millwall positions in the prediction and lingering uncertainties
Opta’s model still sees Frank Lampard’s Coventry among the automatic promotion places despite the ground they have given up in recent months. Since the start of December the Sky Blues have accumulated the 18th-most points in the division, and the projection warns they need to rediscover earlier dominance to avoid chasing promotion the play-offs for the third time in four seasons. Ipswich Town, who have games in hand and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wrexham on Friday night, now have a single focus on finishing in the top two; Opta nonetheless predicts Ipswich will fall agonisingly short of automatic promotion but should be strong contenders in the play-offs, with fans able to feel confident about promotion chances either automatically or a Wembley trip in late May.
Millwall’s surge, Preston’s place just outside the top six and historical notes
Millwall sit third in the league after leapfrogging Ipswich with a 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday while Kieran McKenna’s side were in cup action. They hold an eight-point lead over Preston North End, who sit just outside the top six, and Opta’s projection believes the Lions will keep challengers at arm’s length and finish in the top four. For Alex Neil’s side this would cap a remarkable regular season; they have not finished in the second-tier play-offs since finishing fourth in 2001/02 when the competition was branded the First Division. The context also notes a line about a goal difference of only +4 that references Huddersfield Town in 2016/17 but the remainder of that comparison is unclear in the provided context.
