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.
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
2023 League One play-off fixtures
|
Date / Kick-Off Time |
Fixture |
|---|---|
|
12/05/23 – 20:00 |
Peterborough vs Sheffield Wednesday |
|
13/05/23 – 15:00 |
Bolton vs Barnsley |
|
18/05/23 – 20:00 |
|
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