Leicester City can take a huge step towards automatic promotion back to the Premier League when hosting Southampton on Tuesday – and could even seal the deal.
The Foxes had been 11 points clear at the top of the Championship as recently as February, only to drop out of the top two at the expense of Ipswich Town and Leeds United.
Now back in the driving seat with just a fortnight remaining, Leicester are back ahead of Ipswich and Leeds, while Southampton remain in with a shout.
The Saints’ charge was halted on the weekend at Cardiff City, but they cannot be ruled out given the form of the three clubs above them.
Here’s what is required for each team, and how Leicester could secure promotion on Tuesday…
What Leicester need for automatic promotion
It has been a rocky 2024 for Leicester, but after getting back on track against West Brom on Saturday, the Foxes’ mission in clear: win two of their remaining three games and they will be back in the Premier League (where a points deduction could await…).
Right now, for Leicester 97 is the magic number, and that is because third-placed Leeds can only manage a total of 96 points if they win their remaining games in hand. Two more wins would take Leicester to 97.
Promotion could be secured in midweek, but only if Leeds lose at Middlesbrough on Monday and Leicester then beat Southampton on Tuesday.
A four-point cushion over Leeds in third may not feel too comfortable, but it could be enough to get them over the line.
Leicester can guarantee winning the title – as they did in 2013-14, two years before they won the Premier League – by winning their last three games, otherwise they must simply outperform the chasing pack below them.
Championship table and fixtures involving top four
- Leicester: P43 | GD: 42 | Pts: 91
- Ipswich: P43 | GD: 32 | Pts: 89
- Leeds: P43 | GD: 42 | Pts: 87
- Southampton: P43 | GD: 29 | Pts: 84
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- 22 April: Middlesbrough vs Leeds
- 23 April: Leicester vs Southampton
- 26 April: QPR vs Leeds
- 27 April: Southampton vs Stoke
- 27 April: Hull vs Ipswich
- 29 April: Preston vs Leicester
- 30 April: Coventry vs Ipswich
- 4 May: Ipswich vs Huddersfield
- 4 May: Leeds vs Southampton
- 4 May: Leicester vs Blackburn
What Ipswich need for automatic promotion
Again, it is about bettering Leeds’ possible 96-point haul, and so Ipswich can guarantee back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna if they win their remaining three games.
Winless in three, though, that is far from being a certainty, although Leeds are on a similarly sticky run just two points behind.
Both Ipswich and Leeds are on the road in their next two matches, before playing at home on Saturday 4 May – the final day of the regular season.
Ipswich can only secure automatic promotion before the final day if they are four points clear of Leeds and Southampton. That is the basic maths, and for that to happen, one scenario would be Leeds and Southampton losing their next two games, with Ipswich then needing just a win at Hull or Coventry to go up.
Maximum points top four can reach
- Leicester: 100pts
- Ipswich: 98pts
- Leeds: 96pts
- Southampton: 93pts
What Leeds and Southampton need for automatic promotion
First and foremost, the chasing pair need Leicester and Ipswich to drop points, and that is something Southampton can inflict directly when travelling to Leicester on Tuesday.
Southampton then host Stoke before heading to Leeds on the final day, which could be a winner-takes-second game should Leicester or Ipswich leave the door open.
It is highly unlikely Southampton will take on Leeds with both in the top two, especially as the Saints are seven points off Leicester, but it has the potential for an epic showdown with seismic consequences.
By that point one of Southampton or Leeds could be in the top two, and at the very least that match should sort out the play-off fixtures, with third facing sixth and fourth against fifth.
Could goal difference decide promotion?
It’s definitely not out of the question, and should it come down to goal difference then Leicester and Leeds are currently in pole position.
Removing Leicester from the equation, if the fight for second is between Ipswich and Leeds, currently the latter boast a greater goal difference.
The prospect of Ipswich and Leeds finishing on the same amount of points is not unrealistic, either, with the current two-point gap brought level by an Ipswich draw and Leeds win.
Championship play-off dates and schedule
The Championship play-off semi-final first legs both take place on Sunday 12 May.
The third vs sixth play-off semi-final kicks off at midday with the return leg then on Thursday 16 May at 8pm.
The fourth vs fifth play-off semi-final kicks off at 2.15pm on the Sunday and the return leg is 8pm on Friday 17 May.
The Championship final then takes place at Wembley on Sunday 26 May and is a 4.30pm kick-off.
