2018/19 Sky Bet Championship Relegation Predictions – Back These 3 Teams to Drop

The new Championship season starts this weekend and our tipster John has picked out three Sky Bet Championship relegation predictions and offered up the best betting tips for the trio.

When Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2016-17 campaign, few football experts predicted that they would finish at the foot of the Championship table the following season. Swansea, West Brom and Stoke will be hoping to avoid the same fate as the Black Cats this term, but which other teams could be involved in the battle to avoid relegation into League One?

 

Which of the Relegated Premier League Teams will Struggle?

Of the teams relegated from the Premier League last season, Swansea may be the team most likely to experience difficulty in the Championship. Although Graham Potter has been appointed as manager following his success in a similar role in Sweden, reducing a sizeable wage bill has become a priority for the Swans with the departure of several players an on-going process. Swansea may struggle this season but Potter should guide his team to Championship safety.

 

Championship Relegation Predictions

In discussing candidates for relegation, there should be some mention of Bolton (6/5 with Paddy Power) after their very narrow escape last season when seemingly doomed to play League One football this term. The Trotters owed their survival last season to scoring two goals in the final five minutes during a final day 3-2 home victory against Nottingham Forest after earning just one point from seven previous matches.

Manager Phil Parkinson has been very active in the summer transfer window with many incomings and outgoings at the Macron Stadium as he seeks to avoid a repeat of the 2017-18 relegation struggle. Bolton can still be backed at 6/5 to lose their Championship status but Joe Pritchard from Tottenham could be useful acquisition as may be the case with attacking midfielder Erhun Oztumer from Walsall.

As with Bolton, Birmingham were another team to find life difficult in the Championship last term but Garry Monk guided the Blues to five league victories following his early March appointment as manager. Issues with incoming transfers have hindered summer recruitment at St Andrews and they are offered at 7/1 with 888Sport to finish in the bottom three on this occasion, but Birmingham should avoid that fate with Monk at the helm.

Reading could be another team set to face a difficult campaign after finishing in 20th position last term. The Royals won just three league games from the beginning of the year and conceded three goals or more in four of their last six away matches. Manager Paul Clement has gambled on Mark McNulty reproducing his excellent goalscoring form for Coventry last season in this higher level of football, while the arrivals of David Meyler and John O’Shea may add experience but a likely lack of pace. Another season of struggle looms for Reading with relegation odds of 5/1 at Unibet available.

 

Rotherham United to finish bottom of the Championship

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Retaining their English Championship status will be the ultimate target of newly promoted Rotherham, a team which finished with just 23 points in their previous second tier campaign. A 2-1 victory against Shrewsbury in the playoff final ensured that the Millers stayed only one season in League One, but their eventual fourth position in the league table owed much to losing just one game on home soil from early December onwards. Although there has been some incoming transfer activity during the current transfer window, Rotherham’s odds of 5/4 at William Hill to be relegated are appealing for our Championship relegation predictions in the 2018/19 season.

 

Norwich to be relegated from the Championship

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Both Wigan and Blackburn may be capable of avoiding any relegation concerns after losing just six matches apiece during their respective League One campaigns last season, but Norwich could be a surprise contender to struggle at the foot of the table. Losing the influential James Maddison and Josh Murphy plus club stalwart Wes Hoolahan will be a blow for manager Daniel Farke who has not always been popular with the Carrow Road faithful. The Canaries won just three of their last sixteen matches last term and although much-travelled striker Jordan Rhodes has arrived during the summer, Norwich could be worth a bet for relegation.

 

QPR to be relegated from the Championship

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Queens Park Rangers may join Reading in the battle to avoid relegation despite their fairly comfortable lower mid-table finish last season. Newly appointed boss Steve McClaren failed in his two previous managerial roles at Derby and Newcastle, and there are few significant additions to the playing staff at Loftus Road following several departures, as Financial Fair Play problems affect the club.

Matt Smith is generally reliable in attack but seven away defeats from late January onwards is a concern. If Rangers cannot maintain their decent home form of the later stages of the 2017-18 campaign, they could become an attractive bet to be relegated.

 

Championship Relegation Betting Tips 2018/19 Season

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