01-02-2020, 07:42 AM
Who is going to win promotion from the Championship? We look at the contenders and get expert analysis from Danny Higginbotham. With just over a month of the season to go, theres still little to separate the sides competing for the top six places, and the race hots up with a full schedule of matches on Tuesday night.Former Stoke, Southampton and Sunderland defender Higginbotham looks over the sides gunning for automatic promotion and gives his take on the play-off race... Its tight at the top with the end of the season on the horizon BurnleySean Dyches side have soared to the top of the table on the back of an unbeaten run in the league that stretches back to Boxing Day. They may have a potentially decisive home clash with Middlesbrough on April 19. Burnley currently lead the way in the Championship Remaining fixtures: Cardiff (h), Leeds (h), Birmingham (a), Middlesbrough (h), Preston (a), QPR (h), Charlton (a).Last six results (most recent first): DDWWWWHIGGINBOTHAMS VERDICT: I think they are the best equipped side, they can mix it more than any of the other teams. I did their game against Brentford a couple of months ago and they were incredible in the first half.Some people would say they were fortunate against Brighton at the weekend but they got a last-minute equaliser and that shows they dont know when they are beaten. That is so important for teams at the top of the league. Burnley were denied a goal in their top-of-the-table clash against Brighton They have Andre Gray, the highest goalscorer in the league, and they are on a phenomenal run. Sean Dyche has been there and done it and they have 15 players who have been promoted from the Championship so they have plenty of know-how too.MiddlesbroughBoro have recovered from defeats at relegation-threatened Rotherham and Charlton with victories over Hull and QPR to boost their automatic promotion hopes. They could be level on points with leaders Burnley if they win their game in hand. Middlesbrough have a game in hand on most of their rivals Remaining fixtures: Huddersfield (h), Preston (h), Reading (h), Bolton (a), Burnley (a), Ipswich (h), Birmingham (a), Brighton (h).Last six results: WWLLWLHIGGINBOTHAMS VERDICT: Their biggest problem has been against the teams that are lower down the table like Rotherham and Charlton. Aitor Karanka wants to be defensively strong but you look at the players they have going forward like Downing, Stuani, Rhodes and Nugent, they are so impressive.I think he should allow them to play with a bit more freedom. We saw that against QPR when they got three goals and there was a point in the second half where they looked untouchable and absolutely fantastic. Middlesbrough boosted their promotion hopes with a 3-2 win at QPR on Friday It will be interesting to see how they go because they havent got much experience of getting promoted. We saw what happened last season (when they lost in the play-off final), but no doubt if they can keep things going like they did against QPR they will be up there because of the players they have in the team.BrightonThe Seagulls have lost the fewest games in the Championship - five - but have drawn 15 times, a record only matched by QPR. They finish the season with games against Derby and Middlesbrough. Brighton are challenging for automatic promotion Remaining fixtures: Birmingham (a), Nottingham Forest (a), Fulham (h), QPR (h), Charlton (a), Derby (h), Middlesbrough (a).Last six results: DWWDDWHIGGINBOTHAMS VERDICT: Everybody keeps writing them off, but you cant go on the runs they have had without thinking they can go the distance. Their problem last season was too many loans, but they have a lot more permanent players now so there is more togetherness and Chris Hughton has tweaked the system which has been very important. Watch highlights of the clash between Brighton and Burnley They would prefer to have more wins under their belt, but I dont think they will go anywhere. There is the least pressure on them in the top six, they havent spent much money and there wont be big expectations around Brighton.HullA 4-0 victory over Bristol City at the weekend was welcome relief for Hull after a five-match winless run in the league. They have a game in hand on most of their promotion rivals and six of their last eight matches are against teams in the bottom half. Steve Bruce has won promotion from the Championship before Remaining fixtures: Derby (a), Huddersfield (a), Wolves (h), Reading (a), Leeds (h), Brentford (h), Bolton (a), Rotherham (h).Last six results: WLDDLDHIGGINBOTHAMS VERDICT: Steve Bruce has a lot of experience in the team and I think they could get automatic promotion. They have players who can score and defensively they are very experienced. Hull returned to winning ways with a convincing victory over Bristol City Steve has done it before, but the pressure is on them. Having come down from the Premier League there is huge pressure on them to be successful. They do have goals in the side but havent scored much recently - before Saturday they had only scored two or more in one of their previous 10 games, so Steve will want that to improve.Getting out of leagues is all about scoring goals, defences keep you in the league, to get out you want goalscorers.Who else will make play-offs and wholl miss out? While Sheffield Wednesday and Derby currently occupy the final play-off places, they have Cardiff and Ipswich hot on their heels, with Birmingham and Preston a bit further back. Derby have won just two of their last six matches while Sheffield Wednesday have won their last three to enhance their play-off hopes. Higginbotham thinks Cardiff could challenge for a top-six finish HIGGINBOTHAMS VERDICT: I still think Burnley and Hull will get automatic promotion but Cardiff are on a fantastic run and they could challenge for a top-six place. Birmingham will still believe with a game in hand and Derby could be the ones that really suffer because of that. I fancy Boro to go one better than last year and get to the play-off final and put the heartache behind them. If they do end up in the play-offs I think they could be successful this time. English football permutations What could happen this week across the leagues? Betting Burnley and Middlesbrough are unsurprisingly Sky Bets favourites for the title at 5/6 and 6/4 respectively, while the duo are odds-on for promotion at just 1/7 and 2/9. Hull are considered the biggest threat to top spot at 8/1 despite needing to win their game in hand to catch third-placed Brighton, who are 14/1 to lift the trophy, while the rest of the league are all but dismissed.The Tigers are also shorter odds to go up at 5/6 to the Seagulls price of 6/4, while Derby (3/1) and Sheffield Wednesday (4/1) follow in the betting. As for those looking to break into the play-off places, Cardiff are the favourites to do so at 5/2 with the Football League sponsor and 16/1 for promotion, with Ipswich (15/2), Birmingham (18/1) and Preston (33/1) all up against longer odds for a top-six finish. We take a look at the on-loan players from Premier League clubs who impressed in the Football League last month. Who are you tipping for promotion to the Premier League? Leave a comment if youre reading on skysports.com or tweet us @SkyFootball...Watch all the Championship goals as they go in Soccer Special from 7.30pm on Tuesday evening or follow our live blog on http://www.skysports.com and via the Sky Sports apps. Also See: English football permutations WATCH: Football League goals Bruce frustrated after draw Blackburn 3-0 Fulham JJ Redick Jersey . -- Josh MacDonalds second goal of the game kept his team alive as the Peterborough Petes edged the host Kingston Frontencas 6-5 in overtime on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action. Jason Smith Jersey . The (14-15-5) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 33 points. They trail sixth place Nashville and fifth place Dallas by two points. https://www.cheappelicans.com/855u-nicol...icans.html. Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. Jahlil Okafor Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Steve Mason, Philadelphia (4) - Mason was brilliant all night long with save after big save on Benoit Pouliot, Carl Hagelin and Derick Brassard. Jrue Holiday Jersey .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards.It has been a long time since the Blue Jays developed a starting pitcher of their own who had any kind of huge success and staying power. Yes, Ricky Romero, Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum all had varying degrees of viability, but McGowan and Marcum had injury issues and Romero has run into mechanical and confidence issues that have many wondering if hes ever going to get it back. You really have to go back to Roy Halladay, who broke in to the majors in late 1998 to find any Jays starting pitcher of note who went on to stardom. Its a little too early to put that "cant miss" label on right-hander Aaron Sanchez, but the 21-year-old is showing signs of being a good one. The Arizona Fall Leagues regular season, as brief as it may be, wound up on Thursday of this week. Seven of the Jays better prospects were playing with the Salt River Rafters. Going into the final game, the Rafters were a half-game back of Mesa for the East Division title. They needed to win and have Mesa lose its final game against Glendale to claim the division crown. Sanchez started for Salt River and was outstanding. He gave up one run on six hits in five innings and picked up the victory as the Rafters edged Scottsdale 3-2. The 64" Sanchez finished the AFL season with a 2-1 record and a 1.16 ERA over 23.1 innings. He had to be that good in the final game, since Scottsdale starter Kyle Crick, a top Giants prospect, started out by pitching three hitless innings and striking out five. Sanchezs teammate, lefty Mike Montgomery of the Rays organization, pitched two shutout innings in relief for the Rafters and said Sanchez is good now, but has the chance to be real good in the future. Unfortunately, Sanchez and the Rafters didnt make it into Saturdays final, because Mesa whipped Glendale 9-3 to clinch the East. Its highly unlikely Aaron Sanchez will be with the Blue Jays to start the 2014 season, but his time is coming. Starting Five Its no secret that the Blue Jays need immediate help in their rotation, and you can bet GM Alex Anthopoulos will be right in the thick of talks for free agents Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana to name just three. The demand for that trio and their price is bound to increase with word that MLB has wiithdrawn its proposal for a new posting agreement with Japanese baseball.dddddddddddd Many Major League owners, ever mindful of controlling costs, didnt like the process of making sealed bids with the high bid getting the players. Paying huge amounts to relatively unproven (by Major League standards) Japanese players only served to drive up the price, which established Major League players could then get when they became free agents. So now, unless something changes, Japanese players such as star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will have to put in nine years of service time in their native country before they can become free agents. Posting would appear to be dead for now. The Rumour Mill This has been a week of wild unfounded rumours, such as the Jays thinking about dealing Jose Bautista to the Phillies for a package including outfielder Domonic Brown, and a number of teams including the Phillies being interested in catcher J.P. Arencibia. This isnt a rumour, just a possibility. The Cincinnati Reds are still considering moving their smoke-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman into the starting rotation to replace 37-year-old Bronson Arroyo, who is likely gone as a free agent. Chapman apparently isnt thrilled by this and wants to stay on as the Reds closer. However, if the Reds can change his mind, they would need some help in the pen. This is where the Blue Jays come in. They could deal a couple of their surplus relievers to the Reds for 27-year-old righty Homer Bailey, he of two career no-hitters. The Reds may consider dealing Bailey because hes due a healthy raise through arbitration this year after making $5.3 million last year. He can also become a free agent in 2015. Cincinnati also has lefty Tony Cingrani to plug into the rotation should they deal Bailey. Bailey, the seventh-overall pick in 2004, is also represented by the Hendricks brothers, the same ones who helped deliver Roger Clemens to the Blue Jays in 1997. Bailey doesnt have an overwhelming record over his seven years in the "Bigs" at 49-45 with a 4.25 ERA. However, he is only one of 31 pitchers all-time and just 26 in the modern era to have multiple no-hitters, and at least initially he wouldnt cost as much as Garza, Jimenez or Santana. Just a thought. ' ' '