Like every season, the Championship is extremely competitive and one of the most exciting leagues in England. While a lot of the focus is always on the promotion race to get into the Premier League, the scrap to survive and avoid dropping into League One is also very tight this season.
Some historically big clubs are down the wrong end of the table with the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City and Stoke City all too close to the bottom for comfort. It's now past the halfway stage in the Championship, so we're going to look into who are the favourites to be relegated, with the third spot specifically close to call.
EFL Championship relegation odds and tips
Rotherham – (1/50)
Last season under Paul Warne was a memorable season for Rotherham as they stopped the rot of yo-yo-ing between League One and the Championship by finishing 19th. However, Warne departed for League One Derby County and now The Millers are stuck at the foot of the table.
Rotherham are already eight points away from safety having won just three league games all season. Given the shockingly short odds of 1/50, it wouldn't even be worth betting on Rotherham to go down given how poor they've been this season.
The Millers have Southampton and Leeds United in back-to-back games which could make their position even more precarious. However, they do still have to face the likes of QPR, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday, but with just three wins all season, picking up enough points looks like a tall order.
Sheffield Wednesday – (8/13)
Danny Rohl has certainly managed to make things appear more rosey at Hillsborough since his appointment in October. Before the German's arrival, Wednesday hadn't won in the league all season and now have six under their belt and a strong chance of staying up.
The Owls are five points from safety but must sort out their consistency if they wish to stay in the division. Back-to-back league wins were followed up with two defeats conceding six goals in those matches.
Wednesday's next few weeks are crucial for their season and survival hopes as they face Huddersfield and Birmingham at home. If Rohl can guide his side to at least four points, they'll have a fighting chance, otherwise, everything looks to be pointing towards an immediate return to League One.
Huddersfield Town – (4/5)
If a club's top scorer is their centre-back, then it will never likely be an enjoyable season. That's the case for Huddersfield as the top goalscorer Michael Helik has eight goals, whereas the top-scoring striker has just two goals to their name in the form of Kian Harratt.
Much like Wednesday, the Terriers have a huge few games coming up which may well define their season. They currently sit outside of the bottom three ahead of QPR, who they face this weekend, knowing a defeat could well see their season implode.
The main difference between Huddersfield and the other teams around them is that they are drawing a lot of games. So while they're getting points on the board, it's not enough to see them pull away from danger, and that has to change in the next fortnight against QPR and Wednesday.
QPR – 5/6
QPR looked doomed to drop down and play in League One for the first time in their history, but that was before Marti Cifuentes walked through the door. Cifuentes instantly changed the mood around the club losing just once in his first eight matches which also included impressive victories against Stoke City, Hull City and Preston North End.
However, before their victory last time out against Millwall, Cifuentes had gone on a worrying run of zero wins in seven league games. Although they are currently in the bottom three, the bookmakers see them as more likely to beat the drop than Huddersfield who're above them.
This may well be down to the fact Cifuentes has made QPR a lot more resolute in defence. The Spanish coach has managed to keep six clean sheets in his 14 Championship games which is incredibly impressive for a team fighting at the bottom of the league.
Remember, we have a lot more free betting tips on offer for this weekend's action.
