Relegation, play-offs & title – who needs what on Championship final day

After nine months of work, 540 football games are finished in just a few hours on Saturday.

The Championship has once more provided an incredible season of drama and entertainment, with the pendulum swinging back and forth between them. again and again. again and again.

With 12 teams still battling it out for the title, two play-off spots, and a relegation spot, the final-day fixtures (all 12: 30 BST kick-offs) are still a possibility.

What are their requirements? Without a footballing miracle, the Pilgrims are actually already down.

What are their requirements? They are down at Portsmouth, but Hull City’s fate is still up in the air. Their most simple pathway to staying up is to win – they would be guaranteed to finish above either Derby or Stoke who play each other – or at least better the result of one of Luton or Preston.

Hull would have a better goal difference if the Hatters or Lilywhites were to draw and lose.

If Luton and Preston don’t lose, Ruben Selles’ men could finish ahead of Derby in terms of goal difference with a draw and a three-goal defeat for Stoke.

There is also another unlikely scenario in which Hull could finish above Derby on goals scored if the Tigers draw 6-6 and the Rams lose by two goals. The Rams would stay in contention given their better head-to-head record in the equally unlikely event that Derby and Hull draw 5-5 and lose by two.

What are their requirements? If West Bromwich Albion wins or Hull loses, Luton will continue to lead.

The Hatters would only need to avoid an unlikely 14-goal swing in favor of Argyle to survive if Luton and Hull both lose and Plymouth win.

Things get slightly more complicated for Matt Bloomfield’s side if they do not pick up three points at The Hawthorns.

Luton will need to match their performance to maintain their lead in the event that Hull loses. If they beat one of Preston or Derby, Luton would continue to lead regardless of Hull’s outcome.

So what happens if Hull, Preston and Derby all win? Then, in order to finish ahead of Stoke and avoid falling, Luton would need to win.

They could also draw in that scenario and continue to be successful if either of the following happens:

What are their requirements? Preston will continue to lead if they defeat Bristol City, just like Luton does if Hull loses.

If not, the Lilywhites must match or surpass Derby or Stoke’s results in order to beat the drop.

Should Preston and Luton both lose and Hull win, Paul Heckingbottom’s side will survive on goal difference as long as they avoid the unlikely scenario of losing by 13 goals and the Hatters losing by one, or losing by 14 goals and the Hatters losing by two and so on.

The Lilywhites would need Derby to score four goals more than themselves to stay in the lead on goal difference (for example, Derby 0-5 Stoke, Bristol City 1-0 Preston) if Hull and Luton both manage to avoid losing.

What are their requirements? If Derby defeat fellow relegation rivals Stoke at home, or if Hull loses, they will claim the title.

The Rams also have the best goal difference among all the relegation teams, with just one.

If Hull win and John Eustace’s side do not, they will need to match one of either Preston or Luton’s results to stay up.

In the unlikely event that Preston and Hull draw, Luton win, and the Rams lose by three goals, as mentioned in Hull’s permutations, Derby would fall.

In the event that Preston, Hull, Draw, and Luton win, we can probably exclude these final two possible outcomes.

What are their requirements? Stoke City will stay up if they avoid defeat at Derby.

If Preston and Luton and Hull win, or at least draw, the Potters will only lose if they can score under five goals.

If Hull win, Preston avoids defeat, and Luton draw, there is a very unlikely chance that Stoke will be relegated.

What are their requirements? To have a chance of making the play-offs, Middlesbrough must win at Coventry.

If Millwall and Blackburn fail to win, Boro would advance to the top six.

What are their requirements? Any chance of Blackburn making the play-offs must be based on a win at Sheffield United.

What are their requirements? For any chance of making it to the play-offs, Millwall must win at Burnley.

Victory for the Lions would be enough if one of Bristol City or Coventry fail to win.

What are their requirements? Coventry City will finish in a play-off spot if they beat Middlesbrough.

The Sky Blues could only get a draw if either of the following occurs:

What are their requirements? Bristol City will secure a play-off spot if they beat Preston at home.

The Robins could use a draw, but they could rely on other teams’ outcomes. If any of the following occurs, City will finish in the top six with a draw:

Should Liam Manning’s side lose, they will only finish in the play-offs if: