Championship Promotion Watch: April 21-25

(1) Brighton - PROMOTED

Results last week: Wolves 0-2 Brighton, Brighton 2-1 Wigan

Games This Week: FRI: Norwich (8th) (A)

Congratulations to Chris Hughton's side, who secured promotion with two wins over Wolves and Wigan, while Huddersfield dropped points at Derby. After a string of play-off failures and huge amounts of money spent, they'll finally have Premier League football next season.

Brighton will also secure the title if they win at Norwich on Friday, or Newcastle get beat by Preston on Monday.

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(2) Newcastle - 6 Points Ahead - 3 Games Left

Results last week: Newcastle 1-1 Leeds, Ipswich 3-1 Newcastle

Promotion Odds: This Week: 1/100 - Last Week: 1/66

Just one point from six has seen Newcastle's promotion party put on hold. Yet Huddersfield's late slip to Derby means that two points from three games will see them go up, barring a ridiculous goal swing.

Games This Week: MON: Preston (10th) (H)

I'd love to see Preston snatch something here and take the promotion race into another week but Simon Grayson's side are poor on the road, with just five wins all season.

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(3) Reading - 79 Points - 3 Games Left

Results Last Week: Aston Villa 1-3 Reading, Reading 2-1 Rotherham

Current Promotion Odds: This Week: 9/2 - Last Week: 11/2

It was the ideal Easter weekend for Jaap Stam as a Joseph Mendes inspired (!) win at Villa was followed by a laboured, yet vital win over already relegated Rotherham.

Games This Week: SAT: Nottingham Forest (21st) (A)

A win at Forest guarantees us a top six spot, though a combination of results elsewhere could also be enough even if we slip up. Mark Warburton's in charge at the City Ground but so far he's failed to work much magic, as they sit just one point clear of the relegation places. As Westy mentioned on the podcast, those who remember the 97/98 season would no doubt enjoy seeing Forest be dragged further into the mire, after what we went through at the same ground 19 years ago.

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(4) Huddersfield - 1 Point Behind - 4 Games Left

Result last week: Huddersfield 3-2 Preston, Derby 1-1 Huddersfield

Current Promotion Odds: This Week 9/4 - Last Week: 2/1

It was a tale of two late goals for David Wagners side last week. First, they snatched a win over Preston with a penalty rebound six minutes into added time. Then they went to Derby and led until the final couple of minutes before former player Jacob Butterfield saw them denied two points.

Games This Week: SAT: Fulham (6th) (H), TUES: Wolves (16th) (A)

Fulham will provide a real test, in what could be a dress rehearsal of as play-off game in a few weeks time. After that it's a visit to wildly inconsistent Wolves who now have little to play for after sealing their survival by beating Leeds at Elland Road. Nothing less than six points will keep their automatic promotion hopes intact, so the pressure is still on for Huddersfield.

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(5) Sheffield Wednesday - 4 Points Behind - 3 Games Left

Results Last Week: Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Cardiff, QPR 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Current Promotion Odds: This Week: 10/3 - Last Week: 4/1

Six big points from Sheffield Wednesday, who seem to be hitting form at just the right time. Wins over Cardiff and QPR made it four in four for Carlos Carvalhal's side.

Games This Week: SAT: Derby (9th) (H)

Derby have improved under Gary Rowett but remain flimsy away from Pride Park. With nothing left for them to play for, it's hard to look past a win for the Owls.

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(6) Fulham - 6 Points Behind - 3 Games Left

Results Last Week: Norwich 1-3 Fulham, Fulham 3-1 Aston Villa

Current Promotion Odds: This Week: 7/2 - Last Week: 11/2

Two very classy wins for Fulham this week, which included winning 3-1 at Carrow Road with ten men.... thanks Norwich! That was followed up by beating 10-man Villa 3-1 at Craven Cottage to move back into the top six.

Games This Week: SAT: Huddersfield (4th) (A)

A very tricky assignment for Fulham this weekend and given the fact they also head to Hillsborough on the final day, you get the feeling they really need to get some sort of positive result here.

The Chasing Pack

(7) Leeds - 6 Points Behind - 3 Games Left

Result Last Week: Newcastle 1-1 Leeds, Leeds 0-1 Wolves

Current Promotion Odds: This Week: 5/1 - Last Week: 7/2

Chris Wood's late equaliser at St James' Park seemed to have pulled Leeds out of a slump but an awful limp home defeat to Wolves now sees them scrambling just to make that top six.

Games This Week: SAT: Burton (19th) (A)

Burton are no mugs at home, with eight wins and four draws to show from their first season in the division. They're also not safe from the drop just yet with only a four point gap on the bottom three. Leeds have plenty of work to do.

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