EFL play-offs: The favourites to win promotion in Championship, League One & League Two
Who's ready for some extra thrills and spills, then?
An entertaining couple of days over the recent bank holiday has laid out the play-off picture in the EFL following the conclusion of the Championship, League One, and League Two 'regular seasons' - apologies for the Americanisation.
We're soon to enter the melodramatic realm of the play-offs where so much is at stake. Months of hard work boil down to these final few games, with 15 matches of tension poised to appease all football appreciators.
The EFL play-offs are upon us, folks, and here's who 90min is predicting to earn promotion from the three divisions in question.
Who will win the Championship play-offs?
2023 Championship play-off fixtures
Date / Kick-Off Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
13/05/23 - 17:30 | Sunderland vs Luton |
14/05/23 - 12:00 | Coventry vs Middlesbrough |
16/05/23 - 20:00 | Luton vs Sunderland |
17/05/23 - 20:00 | Middlesbrough vs Coventry |
27/05/23 - 16:45 | Championship play-off final |
Can Luton finally end their play-off hoodoo? Rob Edwards' side enjoyed yet another fine season in the second tier, but the Hatters so often struggle at this crucial point in the season.
Luton have played a total of 14 play-off games in their history, winning just two. This record will undoubtedly concern supporters, and they'll be facing Tony Mowbray's high-flying Sunderland for a place at Wembley.
Sunderland squeaked in on the final day, but they're playing some wonderful stuff right now and their youthful exuberance could work in their favour. This is a fearless Black Cats outfit that hasn't tasted defeat since 15 March.
A Sunderland upset is on the cards, and Coventry will fancy their chances of meeting them in the final. Mark Robins' men impressed at the Riverside on the final day and head into the play-offs in better form than semi-final opponents Middlesbrough. Both ties are mightily tough to call, but a surprise final of Coventry vs Sunderland is a strong possibility given the current swagger both teams are playing with. 90min fancies one of these two sides to return to the big time.
Predicted promotion: Sunderland
All-time play-offs record
Team | Play-off games played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Luton | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
Middlesbrough | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
Coventry | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Sunderland | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
Read more on the play-off hunt across the EFL
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Who will win the League One play-offs?
2023 League One play-off fixtures
Date / Kick-Off Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
12/05/23 - 20:00 | Peterborough 4-0 Sheffield Wednesday |
13/05/23 - 15:00 | Bolton vs Barnsley |
18/05/23 - 20:00 | Sheffield Wednesday vs Peterborough |
19/05/23 - 20:00 | Barnsley vs Bolton |
29/05/23 - 15:00 | League One play-off final |
After amassing an impressive 96-point haul during the regular season, many people would have had their money on Sheffield Wednesday to seal promotion to the Championship. After a 4-0 mauling in the first leg of their semi-final against Peterborough, however, that now looks unlikely to happen.
That means the Posh, if they hold their nerve, would face the winners of Bolton vs Barnsley for a place in the Championship. Barnsley failed to beat Bolton in their two league meetings this season and were thumped 3-0 at home.
The Trotters are also the form side as they accumulated 13 points from their final six League One outings, while Barnsley notched just eight. Could the stars be aligning for the Trotters?
Predicted promotion: Bolton
All-time play-offs record
*Includes 2022/23 play-off games
Team | Play-off games played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sheffield Wednesday* | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
Barnsley | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
Bolton | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
Peterborough* | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
Who will win the League Two play-offs?
2023 League Two play-off fixtures
Date / Kick-Off Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
13/05/23 - 19:45 | Salford vs Stockport |
14/05/23 - 19:00 | Bradford vs Carlisle |
20/05/23 - 12:30 | Stockport vs Salford |
20/05/23 - 15:00 | Carlisle vs Bradford |
28/05/23 - 13:30 | League Two play-off final |
Stockport's semi-final match-up with Salford should be a cracking two-legged affair with both teams heading into the bout off the back of a strong end to the season.
These four play-off sides are evenly matched, with just three points separating Stockport in fourth and Salford in seventh. The latter squeaked into the play-offs by one goal.
Salford failed to beat Stockport in the league this season and lost 2-0 at home which may give County the edge in their upcoming duel. This is bound to be a tight affair with Stockport just about edging it.
As for Carlisle and Bradford, neither side are playing particularly well at the moment and a cagey two legs are expected. There's little we can take away from their sole league meeting this season which ended 0-0 (the other was postponed), and 90min believes the winner of the other tie will earn promotion to League One.
Predicted promotion: Stockport
All-time play-offs record
Team | Play-off games played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stockport | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Carlisle | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Bradford | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
Salford | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |