The Football League enters its final weekend

Whilst most Premiership clubs still have four rounds of matches left to play, The Football League enters its final weekend with much still to be decided in all three divisions. The Football Blog takes a look at who will celebrating and who will be drowning their sorrows come the end of the weekend.

The Championship

Whilst Wolves have been confirmed as champions, the final automatic promotion spot is still up for grabs with Birmingham, Sheffield United and Reading all still able to make it to the big time. In what proves to be a tense encounter, Birmingham will claim the second Premier League spot if they beat Reading.

However, with Reading finally finding form, they will go up if they beat the Blues and Sheffield United fail to secure a result against Crystal Palace. Palace have nothing to play for though, and I’m going for wins for Reading and United to send the Blades up.

Who will join the other two teams in the play-off mix is still undecided, although I’m backing Cardiff City and Burnley to get the results they need to confine Preston North End to another season of Championship football.

At the other end of the table, it could be three ex-Premiership clubs making their way down to League One if Norwich fail to beat Charlton and Barnsley pick up a point at Plymouth. I would be surprised if the East Anglia club did not join the Addicks and Southampton in making the drop.

League One

With Leicester City and Peterborough United already promoted automatically, the only question remains who will fight it out in the play-offs for the third spot in the second tier. With three of the places going to MK Dons, Millwall and Leeds, it comes down to the match between Scunthorpe United and Tranmere Rovers for the final place. Scunthorpe need only a point, and with home support and I am backing them to give themselves a chance of an immediate return to the Championship.

Hoping to avoid relegation along with Hereford and Cheltenham, are Brighton, Carlisle, Crewe and Northampton, although Hartlepool also have a mathematical chance of going down. The two teams currently occupying the remaining two relegation spots, Carlisle and Crewe, are my tips to make an exit out of League One.

League Two

Brentford will be playing in League One next season, with automatic promotion already confirmed as champions. Two from Wycombe, Exeter and Bury will join them. I’m predicting that early pace setters Wycombe will get the point they need against Notts County. The other place is too close to call, with both Exeter and Bury playing teams with nothing left to play for (Rotherham and Accrington Stanley respectively). However, I think the Grecians will grind out the win they need to be celebrating on Saturday evening.

Dagenham & Redbridge have won their last three games, scoring nine goals in the process, and they should get the draw they require against remaining play-off hopefuls Shrewsbury to get the final spot in the top six.

Barring a 19 goal miracle, Chester City will join Luton Town in dropping out of the football league come 5 o’clock on Saturday.

Do you see the weekend’s ties going any differently? And of those teams heading to the play-offs, who appears to be hitting form at the right time? Let us know what you think.