Sunderland, Sheff Utd and West Brom Premier League promotion hopes rated by stats experts

The final stages of a thrilling race for promotion into the Premier League is now upon on as the likes of Sunderland, Leeds United and Burnley aim to secure a return to the top flight.

The Black Cats have enjoyed a largely positive season and will head into Saturday’s home game with Millwall aiming to take another step towards claiming one of the four play-off places after recent defeats against the likes of Leeds United, Hull City and top six rivals Coventry City meant automatic promotion is likely to remain out of reach.

There are some potentially decisive fixtures lying in wait for Regis Le Bris and his players as they face the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers over the next month. All three clubs remain within touching distance of the play-offs and will see their meetings with the Black Cats as a big opportunity to further their own causes before the final whistle is blown on the regular season on the first weekend of May.

What has Regis Le Bris said about promotion?

Speaking about the recent defeat at Coventry and his side’s promotion prospects ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Millwall, Le Bris said: "We were disappointed and angry, like our fans after the game. It wasn't really Sunderland on the pitch, that was clear. We looked exhausted. We've been really good so far, so after 38 games it wasn't a huge surprise. It wasn't a comfortable feeling but it's not unusual for a very young team with many injuries and a small core.

"It was more an accident. Tactically, the mindset of the players was OK. it was just a question of performance. Sometimes the level can drop and you don't have only one explanation. It wasn't a good feeling. We were disappointed and angry but we still have 10 points more than Coventry at this stage of the season. We are still in a really good position. We need everyone involved in this state of the season to build strong momentum."

But where are the Black Cats predicted to finish in this season’s Championship and will their play-off bid prove to be successful? We take a look with predictions provided by the stats experts at Opta.

Opta’s predicted final Championship table

Champions - 1. Leeds United (97 points) Promoted - 2. Sheffield United (95 points) Play-offs - 3. Burnley (93 points) 4. Sunderland (82 points) 5. Coventry City (71 points) 6. West Bromwich Albion (70 points) Staying for another season - 7. Bristol City (68 points) 8. Middlesbrough (65 points) 9. Sheffield Wednesday (62 points) 10. Watford (62 points) 11. Blackburn Rovers (62 points) 12. Millwall (61 points) 13. Norwich City (60 points) 14. Preston North End (59 points) 15. Queens Park Rangers (55 points) 16. Swansea City (97 points) 17. Portsmouth (52 points) 18. Hull City (52 points) 19. Oxford United (50 points) 20. Stoke City (48 points) Relegated - 21. Cardiff City (48 points) 22. Derby County (47 points) 23. Luton Town (44 points) 24. Plymouth Argyle (40 points)

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