The 2022/23 Championship season promises to be an exciting one for Sunderland fans following five years in League One.
The Black Cats made the jump back to the second tier of English football via the play-offs after they beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 at Wembley in May.
Staying up and solidifying their position in the Championship should be the goal for Sunderland next season. After multiple years in League One, a couple of years in the Championship could go a long way to helping the club build towards a Premier League push in a few seasons time.
And the bookmakers BET365 reckon the Black Cats will secure safety with a mid-table finish next season.
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Here is the predicted 2022/23 Championship table based on BET365's odds.
1). Norwich (6/1 to win)
Death, taxes and Norwich winning the Championship - it's a never ending cycle.
The Canaries won the 2018/19 Championship title, got relegated the following season, then won the 2020/21 Championship title only to be relegated again last season.
Given their previously strong performances in the second tier, Norwich being named title favourites is no surprise.
2). Watford (7/1 to win)
Another relegated Premier League side, Watford are second outright favourites to win the Championship next season.
Like Norwich, they too won promotion during the 2020/21 season only to be relegated straight back down to the Championship.
The Hornets boast a wealth of talent in their squad when compared to the rest of the Championship and will have a strong chance to challenge for the title next season.
3). West Bromwich Albion (11/4 to be promoted, 11/10 for a top six finish)
After a frustrating season last time out, West Brom are joint third favourites to be promoted automatically.
Steve Bruce's side finished 10th last season and will be hoping to bounce back into promotion contention. They still have striker Karlan Grant on the books who scored 18 goals last season. Grant will be pivotal in any promotion or play-off push.
4). Middlesbrough (11/4 to be promoted, 6/5 for a top six finish)
Middlesbrough missed out on the play-offs last season, but the bookies are backing them to finish in the top six this time around.
While Chris Wilder's side finished seventh last season, it was their best finish since 2019. The previous two campaigns saw Boro finish 10th and 17th. With Wilder at the helm, Boro will likely be in contention for at least a play-off spot this season.
5). Sheffield United (11/4 to be promoted, 6/5 for a top finish)
Sheffield United suffered heartbreak against Nottingham Forest in the play-offs last season, missing out on a place at Wembley on penalties.
The Blades are one of the bookies favourites to finish inside the top six next season but will need to replace departing loan star Morgan Gibbs-White's 12 goals if they are to have any hopes of promotion.
6). Burnley (7/2 to be promoted, 3/2 for a top six finish)
Relegated on the final day of the Premier League season, Burnley could be in for a shock next season.
While they still have plenty of quality players in their squad, the Clarets relegation from the Premier League means they have to pay back a significant amount from a £65m loan the club took out upon being taken over.
That will likely have a huge knock on effect as it could mean the Clarets will hold a fire sale at Turf Moor in order to generate funds.
7). Swansea (2/1 for a top six finish)
While Swansea finished 15th last season, the bookies make them one of the favourites to finish in and around the play-off places next season.
The Swans boast one of the Championship's most prolific forwards in their squad too in Joel Piroe, who scored 22 goals last season. If Piroe performs, then the sky is the limit for Swansea.
8). Huddersfield (5/2 for a top six finish)
Despite making it to the play-off final last season, the bookies have Huddersfield just slightly outside of the major favourites for the top six.
The Terriers missed out on a Premier League return last season after they lost to Nottingham Forest at Wembley.
9). Stoke (5/2 for a top six finish)
Stoke started and finished last season in good form. A mid-season lull around late November to mid-March saw the Potters slip back down the table following their good start.
Consistency will be key to keeping them in the play-off hunt next season.
10). Coventry (3/1 for a top six finish)
Similar to Stoke, Coventry got off to an incredible start last season, winning seven from their opening 11 fixtures.
They fell back down to earth around the midway part of the season, having spent most of the first half inside the play-off places, finishing in 12th place.
11). QPR (3/1 for a top six finish)
QPR were flying last season until they hit a dreadful run of form in February which ruined their campaign.
Up until February, the R's had spent the majority of their season inside the play-off places, only to suffer a dismal run of form that saw them lose 11 of their final 17 games.
12). Sunderland (3/1 for a top six finish, 6/1 to be relegated)
The bookies give the Black Cats 3/1 odds of finishing inside the play-off places and give them 6/1 odds to be relegated next season.
They certainly give Sunderland a much better chance of staying up than going down next season which should boost supporters hopes.
Staying up is a must for Sunderland next season. They need a few seasons in the second tier to solidify and build, allowing them to push for promotion back to the Premier League.
13). Blackburn (3/1 for a top six finish, 13/2 to be relegated)
At one point last season, Blackburn were 2nd in the Championship table.
Boosted by the performances of Chilean star Ben Brereton Diaz, Rovers went on a stellar run during November, winning six games on the bounce.
However, following the turn of the year, they came crashing back down to earth, winning just six games in their entire second half of the season.
14). Cardiff (10/3 for a top six finish 13/2 to be relegated)
Cardiff City finished 18th last season and will be in and amongst the relegation candidates for next season.
Defender Aden Flint was the Bluebirds top scorer with six goals last season. Failure to add more goals will almost certainly see them struggle next season.
15). Millwall (7/1 to be relegated)
Millwall were never really in doubt of going down last season. While Gary Rowlett's men drew six of their opening nine games, they were comfortably mid-table for the majority of the season, eventually finishing in an impressive ninth place following a strong end of season finish.
16). Luton Town (7/1 to be relegated)
Last years surprise package. Luton produced a season for the ages, finishing sixth in the Championship. However, the bookies make them joint ninth favourites with Millwall to go down next season.
It seems unlikely they will be able to reproduce their heroics again but stranger things have happened...
17). Wigan (7/2 to be relegated)
Newly promoted Wigan are being tipped to survive next season. They will need star forward Will Keane, who scored 26 goals in League One last season to be at his best if they want to stay up.
18). Hull City (5/1 to be relegated)
Hull City finished the season in 19th place last time out. Under new ownership following January's Turkish takeover, the Tigers have been linked with a host of players from Turkey already this summer. If they can unearth some gems, they could be on for a much better finish next season than 19th.
19). Preston North End (7/2 to be relegated)
An up and down season saw Preston finish 13th last season. They will likely be in and around the middle to bottom half of the Championship table next season.
20). Blackpool (9/2 to be relegated)
While they stayed up comfortably in the end, the storm cloud around Blackpool could already be beginning to gather. They lost their final two games of the season to already relegated Derby and Peterborough and have also lost their manager Neil Critchley to Aston Villa.
21). Bristol City (11/4 to be relegated)
Bristol spent plenty of time around the relegation zone last season but never once entered it. However, their mid-season form was woeful. From December to April, they won just six games from a possible 19. The bookies make them joint second favourite to be relegated next season.
22). Birmingham City (11/4 to be relegated)
Birmingham City finished 20th last season. Unless they can add more goals to their attack, the Blues will almost certainly be in a relegation scrap next season.
23). Reading (11/4 to be relegated)
Shockingly, Reading only spent one match day in the bottom three last season which was early on in the Championship campaign.
However, the Royals were pretty much bailed out by the fact there were three sides worse than them last season. They finished 21st in the league and will be battling relegation again next season.
24). Rotherham (13/8 to be relegated)
Rotherham United are the very definition of a yo-yo club. In 2017, they were relegated to League One. In 2018, they were promoted back to the Championship.
In 2019, they were relegated to League One. In 2020 they were promoted back to the Championship. In 2021, they were relegated to League One.
In 2022 they were promoted back to the Championship. The likelihood for 2023? The bookies think relegation...
