Strong call on who is expected to join Leeds United and Burnley after Premier League promotion
Sheffield United, Sunderland, Coventry City or Bristol City will join Leeds and Burnley in the Premier League.
Leeds United and Burnley are heading for next season’s Premier League - and the bookies have made a very strong call on who is expected to join them.
Leeds and Burnley ultimately finished ten points clear in the Championship’s automatic promotion places as Sheffield United had to settle for third place.
The Blades themselves ended up a huge 14 points clear of fourth-placed Sunderland who along with fifth-placed Coventry City and sixth-placed Bristol City headed for the play-offs.
Sheffield United finished a massive 21 points ahead of Coventry and 22 clear of Bristol City, the table clearly illustrating that Chris Wilder’s side had been the third best team in the division.
It is well documented, however, that the team who finishes in third place often then suffers heartache in the play-offs.
The bookies, though, do not expect that to happen this time around with Wilder’s men strong odds-on favourites to join Leeds and Burnley ahead of Monday night’s semi-final second leg at home to Bristol City.
“Very strong favourites...”
The Blades already have one foot in the Wembley final following a 3-0 win in the first leg at Ashton Gate in which the home side’s Rob Dickie was sent off on the stroke of half-time.
The two teams will lock horns again on Monday evening in an 8pm kick-off at Bramall Lane in a bid to seal a place in the Wembley final against Sunderland or Coventry.
Sunderland also hold an advantage heading into their second leg against the Sky Blues having recorded a 2-1 win at the CBS Arena in last week’s first leg.
The Black Cats and Sky Blues will meet again on Tuesday evening in an 8pm kick-off at The Stadium Of Light, in which the bookies expect Sunderland to set up a Wembley play-off final against the Blades.
Wilder’s side, though, are very strong favourites to ultimately go up in being odds-on with every firm to win the play-offs in being no bigger than 3-4 but as short as 4-6 with some firms.
Sunderland are 9-5 shots with Coventry available at 17-2. Bristol City’s hopes are already considered more or less over, the Robins now 125-1.