The final day of the English Championship could go down as one of the more memorable in recent history. Only one more team can secure automatic promotion to the Premier League after Leicester secured a top-two finish midweek. So, it comes down to either Ipswich Town or Leeds United to get promoted to the Premier League.
As things stand entering the final matchday, Ipswich is in second with a three-point lead over Leeds. A 4-0 demolition at the hands of QPR may have sunk Leeds United’s chances of returning to the Premier League at the first time of trying. There is still a chance for automatic promotion, but Leeds will require help.
The final day of EFL Championship games is on Saturday, May 4, at 7:30 a.m. ET. For fans in the United States, three of the 12 games are available on streaming or TV. Fortunately, that includes three of the most important games on offer. Those are Leeds-Southampton, Ipswich-Huddersfield and Birmingham City-Norwich.
EFL Championship Final Day: Who gets promoted?
- Ipswich Town vs. Huddersfield Town. — ESPN+, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, SlingOrange
- Leeds United vs. Southampton. — ESPN+
- Birmingham City vs. Norwich City. — ESPN+
The Leeds United game at home against Southampton is available exclusively on ESPN+. The battle between the teams in third and fourth is truly only important for Leeds. Southampton, regardless of what happens on Saturday, will finish fourth. As a result, the Saints will host the second leg of the promotion playoffs against whichever team finishes fifth. That could be Norwich, West Bromwich Albion or Hull City.
Leeds, on the other hand, can jump into second with a win. However, this scenario requires Ipswich Town to lose to Huddersfield Town, a team effectively already relegated to League One. Huddersfield did hold Ipswich to a draw earlier in the campaign, so that could be crucial as Leeds becomes a massive Huddersfield supporter.
Our Pick:Includes: Bundesliga, LaLiga, FA Cup, & More |
 |
That game between Ipswich and Huddersfield, which also kicks off at 7:30 a.m. ET is available on both ESPN2 and ESPN+. Likewise, the final game available for American audiences is the game between Birmingham City and Norwich City. Only available on ESPN+, this game has significance at both ends of the table. For Norwich, one point is good enough for the Canaries to guarantee a spot in the promotion playoffs. Even then, Norwich is effectively already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. With a three-point lead over Hull City, it would take a massive loss from Norwich and a multi-goal win from Hull to usurp that promotion place. Norwich’s goal differential is seven better than Hull’s. Regardless, securing at least one point takes all the math out of play.
Birmingham City is desperate for a win to have any chance of staying up. The club has undergone such rapid change this year, and it is now going to suffer the consequences. A win over Norwich would bring Birmingham City above Plymouth Argyle. Yet, Plymouth could pull out a result against Hull City to officially send Birmingham City down.
Follow along on the radio
ESPN+ has coverage of Leeds-Southampton, Birmingham City-Norwich City and Ipswich-Huddersfield, with the latter also available on ESPN2. If you want to tune into action from the other grounds, BBC Radio 5 Live or BBC World Service radio commentary can provide action from the other grounds. The in-game commentary crews for the three games on ESPN’s services will likely provide updates, but sometimes it is more thrilling to listen to the action.
PHOTO: IMAGO
