Predictions computer forecasts how Championship promotion race will unfold for Sheffield United and Middlesbrough and will Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United stay up?

THE DATA BOFFINS at fivethirtyeight.com have dissected the latest Championship data and predicted whether Sheffield United or Middlesbrough will finish in the top two and who will survive in a relegation fight which features Huddersfield Town and, to a lesser extent, Rotherham United.

Boro cut the gap between themselves and second-placed United back to four points after their 5-0 weekend blitzing of troubled Reading, who entertain Paul Heckingbottom's side in the Blades' game in hand on Tuesday evening.

The Blades were beaten 1-0 by in form Blackburn on Saturday, their third loss in four league matches. Rovers are six points behind Heckingbottom's side, who have played a game fewer.

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Towards the bottom, it was a good day for Rotherham and an appalling one for Huddersfield.

EFL match-ball. Picture: Getty Images.EFL match-ball. Picture: Getty Images.
EFL match-ball. Picture: Getty Images.

The Millers saw off QPR 3-1 to secure back-to-back home league wins for the first time since August.

Meanwhile, error-ridden Town - who welcome Bristol City in a must-win fixture on Tuesday evening - crashed 4-0 at home to Coventry City.

The Terriers have won just once in ten matches and are effectively eight points adrift of safety, taking goal difference into account.

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At the top, the Blades are still fancied to finish second and are given a 75 per cent chance of automatic promotion.

Third-placed Boro are given a 41 per cent chance of promotion via the automatic route. Qualification for the play-offs is rated at 72 per cent.

At the wrong end of the table, the experts believe that Town - who now prop up to the rest after Wigan and Blackpool drew at the weekend - are near-certainties for relegation, with their latest odds listed at 87 per cent.

The number crunchers, by contrast, believe the Millers will survive and finish fourth from bottom with a healthy enough seven-point advantage over the side who they tip to finish in the final relegation slot in Wigan.

Rotherham are given a 17 per cent chance of going down.

Latest predicted final table and points.

Team name Predicted points
Burnley 98
Sheffield United 85
Middlesbrough 79
Luton 75
Millwall 73
Norwich 73
Blackburn 71
Coventry 69
WBA 68
Watford 68
Sunderland 63
Preston 61
Stoke 60
Bristol City 59
Swansea 58
Hull City 57
Reading 57
Birmingham 53
QPR 52
Cardiff 51
Rotherham United 51
Wigan 44
Blackpool 43
Huddersfield Town 42