2021/22 Championship Betting Preview

Domestic football is back this weekend with all 72 football league clubs getting their 2021/22 campaigns underway.

In the opinion of many, the Championship is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, with promotion to the Premier League on offer for those at the top, but the fear of relegation for those at the bottom.

The new season is upon us, 24 teams fancy their chances, and here is our Championship betting preview.

Outright Winner

The top three in the betting for this market are the three teams who have come down from the Premier League. Fulham head the market as favourites, West Brom are behind them and Sheffield United are third favourites.

Fulham are the pick here and are rightfully favourites. They have kept together a good number of players from last season and were not too far off staying in the Premier League last term. Marco Silva takes over, and will bring freshness to the team, after time under Scott Parker.

We have seen Fulham move between the two leagues in the past, and others have done that too, so they have experience and know what is required here, if they want to bounce straight back at the first attempt.

Of the other relegated teams, West Brom are fancied to do well, while Sheffield United are not expected to get involved, and could struggle to even make the playoffs on their return to the Championship.

Bournemouth may be a team to keep an eye on, after reaching the playoffs last season before losing out to Brentford. They have the quality to play with anyone in this league, but often look a little too fancy, and lack steel, something they have hopefully fixed over the summer by bringing in new boss Scott Parker. He’s been there and done it all before, so knows what he needs to do with this squad to take them to the next level.

At the prices they will appeal to some, but Fulham appear to have a great chance of bouncing straight back up to us.

Promotion Betting

A little further down the list of clubs looking to win the league, you will find a number of hopefuls at bigger odds. These are probably better for those looking to bet on the promotion market, rather than the outright winner market, so you have three chances to win your bet.

The Tykes will need to believe again, but a favourable start to the season in August gives them the chance to do that

The team standing out here is Barnsley, who went on a great run last season and made the playoffs but were eventually stopped by Swansea. They have lost key pieces, including manager Valarien Ismael who is now at West Brom, but have replaced them well and spent money in a bid to repeat last season.

The Tykes will need to believe again, but a favourable start to the season in August gives them the chance to do that, and contend once again, though this time around it won’t be as much of a surprise.

Elsewhere, Stoke may be another team to watch, after a few years transitioning back into the Championship. They have taken their time, built things slowly and this season may be the one in which they can finally challenge and aim to get back into the Premier League.

Relegation Betting

Down at the bottom, the biggest story so far is Derby County. They have a very limited squad and a transfer ban on signing new players, with boss Wayne Rooney already looking in trouble, before we have even kicked a ball.

They desperately need help but can’t bring it in and it is no surprise to see that the bookmakers have made them odds on to be relegated.

Huddersfield, Coventry, Preston and Birmingham all showed weaknesses last season, and could be in trouble if things don’t go their way. Newcomers Blackpool and Peterborough will be looking to hold onto Championship status, and know this battle will be a broad one, with a lot of teams involved.

The other newcomer, Hull, are our pick for relegation. They really struggled when last in the Championship, and don’t appear to have brought in too much quality over the summer. They play an expansive game and could well be caught out by that against a better quality opponent here.

Although they do have experience of the league, they also have bad memories, and could well be a team that struggles again.

2021/22 Championship Season Bets

• Fulham to win the league – 11/2 with William Hill
• Barnsley to be promoted – 13/2 with Betfred
• Hull to be relegated – 9/2 with 10Bet