Championship
2021-2022|
Fulham
|
Bournemouth
|
Huddersfield
|
Nottingham Forest
|
Luton
|
Sheffield Utd
|
Middlesbrough
|
Blackburn
|
Millwall
|
West Brom
|
QPR
|
Preston
|
Coventry
|
Stoke City
|
Swansea
|
Blackpool
|
Derby
|
Bristol City
|
Cardiff
|
Hull City
|
Birmingham
|
Reading
|
Peterborough
|
Barnsley
|
||
| 1 | Fulham | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 7–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 6–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 6–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Bournemouth | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | |
| 3 | Huddersfield | 1–5 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest | 0–4 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 5 | Luton | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | |
| 6 | Sheffield Utd | 4–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 6–2 | 2–0 | |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 8 | Blackburn | 0–7 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | |
| 9 | Millwall | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | |
| 10 | West Brom | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | |
| 11 | QPR | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | |
| 12 | Preston | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 13 | Coventry | 4–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |
| 14 | Stoke City | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| 15 | Swansea | 1–5 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | |
| 16 | Blackpool | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | |
| 17 | Derby | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 18 | Bristol City | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| 19 | Cardiff | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | |
| 20 | Hull City | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | |
| 21 | Birmingham | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | |
| 22 | Reading | 0–7 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 4–4 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | |
| 23 | Peterborough | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | |
| 24 | Barnsley | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Player | Club | Position | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
English Football League Championship is the highest division of the English Football League and second-strongest national tournament in the country. The English Premier League holds the lead. The first tournament took place in 2004. Previously, the tournament was called the First Division, and until 1992 it was called the Second Division. The format of the tournament has changed several times. Starting from 2004, 24 clubs have been participating in the tournament. Now let’s consider the format of the championship, the standings, the list of teams and the number of matches in the season.
Participants in the Championship
In the second-strongest football division in England, 24 teams representing 21 cities will play. London is represented by the maximum number of clubs - three. Every season, there are 6 new teams from the EPL and League 1.
The full list of the participants in the 2021/2022 Championship season is as follows:
- Fulham
- West Bromwich
- Queens Park Rangers
- Huddersfield Town
- Stoke City
- Bournemouth
- Coventry City
- Birmingham City
- Cardiff City
- Blackburn Rovers
- Bristol City
- Luton Town
- Middlesbrough
- Barnsley
- Derby County
- Preston North End
- Millwall
- Hull City
- Swansea City
- Peterborough United
- Reading
- Blackpool
- Sheffield United
- Nottingham Forest
If compared with the 2020/2021 season, six changes have occurred in the standings. Norwich City, Watford and Brentford got promoted. Their places in the Championship were taken by Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United. Wycombe Wanderers, Rotherham United, and Sheffield Wednesday were relegated to League 1. They were replaced by Hull City, Peterborough United and Blackpool.
Tournament policy
The regular season of the Championship is held in the "autumn-spring" format. The teams play two circles. During the regular season, everyone plays a home match and a match away with every opponent. In total, the tournament schedule includes 46 rounds of 12 matches each. In total, the clubs play 552 matches during the season. The 2021/2022 season will take place from 6 August 2021 to 7 May 2022.
The final position of the team in the standings is determined by the number of points scored. The teams can score up to three points for each match: zero for a defeat, one for a draw, and three for a win. Based on the results of the season, all points are summed up, and the clubs are placed from highest to lowest total score. In case of equality of points, the position of the team is determined by additional criteria. The criteria are arranged in descending order
- difference in goals scored and conceded in the season;
- the number of goals scored;
- head-to-head results;
- the number of victories in the season;
- the number of goals scored in road games.
If teams are equal by all criteria, the team's place in the standings is determined by the lowest number of penalty points in the season.
The Championship clubs fight for promotion and for non-relegation to League 1. The champion and vice-champion get promoted. The teams from 3rd to 6th place qualify for the third place in the Premier League. In the 21/22 season, the third team of the 20/21 Championship will play in La Liga. 3-6 teams form play-off pairs, the 3rd plays with the 6th, and the 4th with the 5th. The winners play a head-to-head match. The play-offs are played both at home and road matches. Relegation to the First Division is easier. There are no play-offs, and the 22-24 teams get relegated based on the results of the championship.
Favourites and outsiders
The list of tournament favourites is constantly changing. There are teams that regularly claim high positions in the tournament. There are Championship newcomers from the Premier League, as well as actively developing teams that seek to advance to the elite group. This information should be taken into account when making long-term predictions for the Championship games.
The group of leaders always includes teams with good infrastructure that are ready to play at the level of the Premier League. They usually have experience of playing in the elite division, and there are often cases of a quick return to the Premier League. In the 2021/2022 season, the group of favourites of the tournament includes:
- Fulham;
- West Bromwich Albion;
- Bournemouth;
- Middlesbrough;
- Queens Park Rangers;
- Stoke City.
The list of main outsiders of the tournament includes Hull City, Peterborough, Blackpool, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Derby. All three newcomers of the Championship, as well as teams with a small budget are included in the list of outsiders.
The total value of players affects the team's chances in the championship. The more expensive the line-up is and the more skilled the players are, the more chances there are to show a good result. Fulham has the most expensive line-up in the league. The top five also includes Sheffield United, Bournemouth, West Brom and Stoke City. It should be noted that the three most expensive clubs have a cost of more than €100 million. The three cheapest clubs in the Championship are Peterborough, Hull City and Blackpool. The total cost of the Championship is €1.13 billion.
Betting trends
Main news of the league, results and schedule of matches, player stats, line-up changes and the standings are available on the official Championship website. This information allows us to assess the strength of teams and find patterns to the outcomes of matches.
Among the main betting trends are:
- there are many contenders to win the tournament;
- the performance of teams is higher than 2.6 goals per season;
- an abundance of wins in road games;
- few expulsions with a fairly tough game.
When choosing teams for betting in the second-strongest division of England, it is necessary to evaluate the line-up of the team, changes in the coaching staff, plans of the club owners, statistics of matches with equally strong opponents. These are important parameters for selecting events for long-term football betting.
