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Our selections for the upcoming Championship campaign look at three markets and include a 9/2 value shot for relegation.
The 2025/26 Championship campaign gets underway on Friday night when Birmingham City play host to Ipswich Town.
Leicester City, Ipswich and Southampton will all enter the league after relegation from the Premier League, while Birmingham, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic all earned promotion from League One.
Championship outright tips
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Ipswich Town to be promoted @ 21/20
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Coventry City top-six finish @ 11/10
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Preston North End to be relegated @ 9/2
Ipswich Town to be promoted @ 21/20
Ipswich were relegated last season, but they have managed to keep hold of head coach Kieran McKenna.
McKenna has already guided the Tractor Boys from League One to the Premier League, so he and his squad know what it takes to handle the promotion race.
The addition of Azor Matusiwa will add some steel to their midfield, as will the arrival of centre-back Cedric Kipre. Town have lost Liam Delap to Chelsea, while Sam Morsy and Axel Tuanzebe have also moved on.
However, the likes of Sammie Szmodics, Jack Clarke, Nathan Broadhead and Wes Burns have already proved they can excel in the second tier and Ipswich have a great chance of earning promotion this season.
Coventry City top-six finish @ 11/10
Coventry City finished the 24/25 season tremendously well under manager Frank Lampard and the former Chelsea and England midfielder will expect another promotion charge this season.
The Sky Blues fell short in the playoffs last season, but this year could be another year of progress.
Lampard added right-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden to his squad earlier this summer and he has crucially not lost anyone of note.
Coventry look really well equipped to attempt another promotion charge and they look a lot more settled than the likes of Leicester and Southampton.
Preston North End to be relegated @ 9/2
Preston North End got dragged into the relegation battle last season under Paul Heckingbottom and there is no reason to suggest they will fare any better this season.
The Lilywhites only just survived on the final day and they only won one of their last 15 games in the second tier.
Preston failed to win any of their eight matches in the Championship and they have lost Emil Riis, Freddie Woodman and Ryan Ledson over the summer.
While Daniel Iversen, Michael Smith, and Jordan Thompson have moved to Deepdale to fill the void, there’s bound to be a hangover within the squad from last season.
Riis was Preston’s top scorer last season with 12 goals and their lack of goalscoring options suggests they could be fighting to stay in the division come May.
