Ranking the five favourites to win the Championship in 2024/25 | OneFootball

The Championship gets underway this weekend as second-tier sides compete for promotion to the Premier League.

Widely known as one of the toughest leagues in world football, the race for promotion looks set to be as competitive as ever in 2024/25.

Ahead of the division’s big kick-off this weekend, we’ve ranked the five favourites to win the Championship this season.

Coventry City – 14/1

Coventry City have been knocking on the door of Premier League promotion in recent seasons, narrowly finishing outside the top six in 2023/24 after a play-off final defeat to Luton a season earlier.

A poor start and end to the season undid their promotion hopes last season but the Sky Blues look well-equipped to go again. Mark Robins’ team reached the FA Cup semi-finals last season, beating top-flight Wolves and agonisingly losing on penalties to Manchester United in the last four, with Ellis Simms and Haji Wright finding their feet over the run-in.

Callum O’Hare’s exit is a blow but Jack Rudoni looks a shrewd signing to fill that void. Elsewhere, Sweden international goalkeeper Oliver Dovin has arrived from Hammarby.

Middlesbrough – 10/1

Is this the season Middlesbrough bounce back to the big time?

Since relegation from the Premier League in 2016/17, Middlesbrough have been considered promotion contenders without ever coming genuinely close. After three consecutive top-eight finishes, there are high hopes this can be the year for Michael Carrick’s talented team. Last season’s nightmare start saw ‘Boro bottom in mid-September before regrouping to finish eighth.

Emmanuel Latte Lath will be crucial to the club’s hopes. The 25-year-old scored 11 goals in his final 14 games of the season in 2023/24 and if he can replicate that return over a full campaign, he will be the leading contender for the Golden Boot. However, there’s a lack of depth behind the Ivorian and links to Bristol City’s Tommy Conway make sense.

Luton Town – 9/1

Luton gave a good account of themselves in the Premier League last season but fell short in their quest to secure another season of top-flight football.

The Hatters, however, have retained almost all of their big names with the exception of Ross Barkley, which bodes well for a crack at promotion. Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo will be one of the most formidable front pairs in the Championship this season, while Alfie Doughty’s delivery from set-pieces will be key for Rob Edwards’ side.

Chiedozie Ogbene and Tahith Chong provide the pace in wide areas with Luton looking strong, ahead of an opening weekend match-up with fellow relegated side Burnley.

Their promotion in 2022/23 was a shock but few would be surprised to see Luton near the top this time around.

Burnley – 6/1

Burnley start as second-favourites for promotion.

The Clarets are under new management after Scott Parker arrived to replace Vincent Kompany, who was the surprise choice as Bayern Munich’s new head coach despite relegation last season. Parker is aiming to bounce back from a tough time at Club Brugge but is well-versed in the demands of this division, having won promotion with both Fulham and Bournemouth as a manager.

Burnley have kept the majority of their squad together with several members of their 2022/23 promotion-winning team remaining at Turf Moor, including influential midfield pair Josh Brownhill and Josh Cullen.

Hopes will be high that some of last summer’s signings can thrive in the second tier after difficult Premier League campaigns. The likes of Lyle Foster, Aaron Ramsey and Zeki Amdouni have the potential to star in the Championship if they remain a part of Parker’s plans for the campaign.

Leeds United – 11/4

Leeds agonisingly missed out on promotion last season after falling short in a tense race for the automatic places before losing the play-off final.

Daniel Farke’s squad will look to regroup and go again and will start as title favourites. Leeds have lost last season’s Championship Player of the Season, Crysencio Summerville, and emerging star Archie Gray to the Premier League for big fees, though have significant funds to reinvest before the deadline.

Norwich’s Jonathan Rowe has been targeted as a replacement for Summerville, while there’s interest in FC Koln midfielder Dejan Ljubicic as Farke returns to his homeland for targets.

This season could be a breakout year for Mateo Joseph. The 20-year-old hit the headlines with a brace at Chelsea in last season’s FA Cup and has netted four times in pre-season.

Read – The five most expensive transfer sales by Premier League clubs

See more – Fantasy Premier League: The five best forwards for your FPL team in 2024/25

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