Sky Sports pundits make shocking final day prediction involving Ipswich Town and Leeds United

Clinton Morrison and Luke Chambers have laid out their predictions on which of Ipswich Town and Leeds United will finish second in the Championship after the final games of the season have been played, on Saturday.

For the first time in the history of this competition, a team is going to finish the campaign on 90 or more points and not win automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Whoever faces that reality, on the final day of the season, will have a massive conflict of feelings and emotions.

On the one hand, you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody in the footballing realm who wouldn’t have taken a season like that, before a ball had been kicked. On the other, you didn’t meet expectations.

That latter statement is much more applicable to Leeds, whose ambition was to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, following their relegation last season. Ipswich’s goals wouldn’t have been so lofty at that time, but they would have certainly grown to that level pretty quickly once they realised how good they were.

The ball is most certainly in the court of Kieran McKenna, as Daniel Farke can only watch on, anticipate a poor serve, and hope to be able to capitalise on it. But, with how consistent the Tractor Boys have been at home this season – they have only lost one time, which is the outcome that the Whites need – the odds are not in the German’s favour.

A win over Southampton in Yorkshire, and the same for Huddersfield Town in East Anglia, is the thin thread that Leeds are clinging onto as they sit three points off second place.

Their ascent to the top two is now as unlikely as ever, and that’s how the Sky punditry duo of Morrison and Chambers see it too.

Sky Sports pundit’s Championship final day predictions

After watching McKenna’s team earn a crucial three points over Coventry City on Tuesday night, the two pundits both came to the same conclusion: Ipswich are going up.

On Sky Sports, Morrison said, via EADT: “If you’re Leeds, you’re thinking ‘maybe we need to start getting prepared for the play-offs’, I’ll be honest. I’m a realist and this Ipswich team look relentless, they never know when they’re beaten.

“Even against Hull, two good teams going at it, they got the point and then move on to Coventry, who are a fantastic team, and beat them.

“I can’t see them losing at home to Huddersfield in the last game of the season, especially with these fans. They won’t take their foot off the pedal, that’s for sure. I can see Ipswich getting promoted.”

Morrison, a former captain of Town, added: “You saw the celebrations afterwards. Yes, Massimo (Luongo) and Kieffer (Moore) said it was relief, but they’ll know that’s a massive step tonight, that three points.

“Playing in a game where Huddersfield can’t really achieve too much, they did exactly the same at the end of last season where they beat Exeter 6-0 – I think they were 5-0 up at half-time, needing a win.

“So they’ve got the experience in the group and they’ll be very much looking forward to the game now.”

Ipswich’s promotion experience will be vital

It is odd to think that the former League One side has the advantage over the former top flight when it comes to experience of delivering in big pressure moments, but that is certainly the case here.

Ipswich had to go on a mammoth run at the end of the 22/23 campaign in order to secure their promotion to the second tier – they won 13 of their final 15 matches, and only lost once in the ’23 section of the season.

Farke brings the bulk of the Championship winning experience to Elland Road; that was a big reason as to why he was offered the job. But this group of players in Yorkshire don’t carry that gravitas, not like the Ipswich core does.

Logic suggests that their prior experiences will help them over the line, and the fixtures that the two are playing make that outcome much more favourable too.