Cardiff City and Crystal Palace: Our tips for Automatic Promotion to the Premier League

Premier League promotion has never been more important in terms of money and exposure. There are four teams currently in with a serious chance of gaining one of the two automatic promotion places in the Championship. Here’s our two selections.

Cardiff City

Cardiff City will have to go on an abysmal run of form if they are not going to get one of the two automatic promotion slots. They have a five point gap over Watford in second place and they have a game in hand over the three teams below them in the table.

What makes their chances all the more remarkable is that they seem to be going through their blip for the season at the moment. They are currently 12^th on the Championship form table over the last six games.

Cardiff’s stats at home this season are superb; they have won more matches than anyone else at home (13) and they have also conceded the lowest total of goals at home (12), which is three better than Brighton and Leicester.

Cardiff also have the added advantage of recent heartbreak in their various bids to get promoted to the Premier League. This gives them a deep determination to go up, which no other team will have.

Crystal Palace

Palace are currently in fourth place just two points away from Watford who currently hold second place. They have been in and around the top four for most of the season, which proves they have been very consistent.

They are currently fifth on the form table over the last six games but it’s their form at home which is likely to drive them towards that second place; they have won five out of their last six home matches.

They have only lost one match at home all season and have scored an amazing 45 goals, which is more than any other club. If they can improve their stats away from home, they will fly into second place comfortably by the end of the season.

They also benefit from having a manager in Ian Holloway who has experienced the race for promotion before with Blackpool. Blackpool obviously went up through the play-offs which is something Holloway will not want to endure again.

Which two sides do you think will go up automatically?

image: © joncandy

Lewis Doe

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Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.