Who will join Leicester, Burnley in EPL?

Reading need one final effort to get over the line. Source: FoxSports

NINE months ago there would have got some tasty odds available on both Leicester City and Burnley earning automatic promotion to the Premier League.

And imagine the windfall if a saavy punter had plumped a fiver on The Foxes securing promotion at the end of March.

While the two automatic promotion places from The Championship have been seemingly set in stone for months, the battle for the four play-off places has been volatile, to say the least.

And as the season culminates in a final-day flurry of activity, there is still plenty to play for.

It’s all coming down to week 46.

Can Brighton knock Reading out of the play-off race? Source: AAP

Brighton or Reading - with the miracle of Blackburn thrown in.

Brighton and Blackburn need to win, Reading don’t if the other two lose.

With all 12 games kicking off at the same time on Sunday night (EST), there is sure to be plenty of tension all over the country.

And it’s not just the promotion hopefuls who will have their hearts in their mouths.

Life in the relegation zone is never comfortable, let alone on a final day.

Leicester City, for all their unbridled joy as long-time frontrunners, can now have a big bearing on events at the other end of the table.

They entertain Lucas Neill’s Doncaster Rovers, who currently reside one point out of the bottom three.

Birmingham City, winners of the League Cup just three years ago, have lost five in a row and now travel to mid-table Bolton Wanderers needing, no, pleading, for a win and for Leicester to do them a favour.

Favours, favours, favours!

Back to the frontrunners and third-placed Derby County will start next week’s play-offs as favourites to make the leap into the big time after a late-season surge of five consecutive wins.

Fourth place will go to QPR but consistency has been a major issue for Harry Redknapp’s side.

Wigan Athletic have battled bravely on three fronts this season - Europe, FA Cup and League - and have done remarkably well to finish fifth.

Reading hold the upper hand entering this weekend for sixth, but they have the much harder game by entertaining Burnley.

Brighton travel to Nottingham Forest, who once had designs on a promotion party of their own.

In the matter of the teams finishing on equal points then Reading, courtesy of scoring more goals, would be at a distinct advantage.

Then there is the wild, wild, wild wildcard. Blackburn need a goalscoring feast. It’s unlikely Charlton Athletic will be so obliging though.

It’s certainly set for an intriguing round on Sunday night.

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