After the weekend’s results, Carlton Palmer is certain that there will be three competitors vying for the Championship title.
The fight for automatic promotion has been among the fiercest and most competitive in recent years, with the bar being set at an unprecedented height at the top of the table.
Leeds in particular has been setting a fierce pace lately, which has forced Leicester back into the mix after the Foxes lost two games in a row, most recently 3-1 at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke’s team defeated them in the first half of the season and went on to win nine straight league games in 2024. They also won 11 out of 12 games across all competitions, with the only loss on their record coming in the FA Cup against Plymouth.
Nevertheless, Southampton has dropped three of its past four games, enabling Leicester and Ipswich to go ahead by five points.
The games Southampton has coming up, including against Sunderland and Preston, and Ipswich’s next six against five teams in the bottom half could prove to be pivotal.
Leeds survived maybe their most difficult encounter to date and will play four teams that are either threatened with relegation or have already been demoted.
Before the season is out, there will undoubtedly be a lot more turns and turns, and the three participating clubs might easily trade places several times for second place. Leicester, though, might very well be involved and visible.
