Championship Betting: Leeds and West Brom could be promoted without playing again

With news that the top two could be granted automatic promotion while rest of top six compete in shortened play-offs for final Premier League place, Max Liu brings us the latest Exchange odds...

Leeds and West Brom are both 1.11 for promotion on the Exchange after it was reported that the Football League is considering a plan to automatically promote the top two clubs form the Championship if no more fixtures are played.

Leeds lead the division with 71 points, followed by the Baggies on 70, with third-placed Fulham six points behind. There are nine outstanding fixtures left to play for each club but, while the League would prefer to see all matches played, they are working on a contingency plan.

There would be a shortened format of the play-offs to determine the final promotion spot. The teams in third to sixth place - Fulham 2.54, Brentford 2.34, Nottingham Forest 6.60 and Preston 11.00 - would play in semi-finals over one leg at neutral grounds before the winners met in the final.

Premier League relegation issues complicate picture

For the Championship plan to work there would need to be relegation from the Premier League, as top flight clubs would be likely to reject the idea of an expanded division.

Premier League officials are said to be working with the government on a plan dubbed "project restart" which could see top flight football return at the end of next month.

The situation remains uncertain, to say the least. The relegation battle in the Premier League is tight, with only two points separating 18th-placed Bournemouth 1.92 from 15th-placed Brighton 4.90. Condemning teams to the drop based on current standings could lead to a raft of legal disputes from the relegated clubs.