The Championship returns on 14 August with three fallen Premier League clubs cast as the teams to beat, while last season's promoted sides brace for what could be a difficult season back in the second tier.
West Ham United, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers all dropped out of the top flight last term, and bookmakers now expect at least two of that trio to bounce straight back up. West Ham are the standout favourites to lift the Championship title, priced at 7/4 by Betfred, with some bookmakers quoting odds as short as 8/15 simply for the club to secure promotion.
The Hammers retain a squad that many believe is a cut above Championship level, built around key figures such as Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Taty Castellanos. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has remained at the helm, offering continuity and top-flight managerial experience as the club attempts an immediate return. West Ham are also said to be pursuing further additions this month, with Simon Adingra, Manor Solomon and Troy Parrott reportedly among their targets.
Wolves, meanwhile, are considered the second-most-likely club for automatic promotion, priced at 13/8 by Bet365, just ahead of fellow relegated club Burnley. Despite finishing bottom of the Premier League last season, Wolves have moved to reset under new manager Cesar Peixoto, who arrives from Portuguese side Gil Vicente after guiding the club to a sixth-place finish. The Molineux club have also strengthened with the signings of Raul Jimenez and Kieran Trippier, while Rafiki Said has joined and Ladislav Krejci has returned following a loan spell. The blend of experience and quality throughout the squad has led pundits to suggest Wolves could challenge not just for promotion, but potentially the title itself.
Elsewhere in the promotion picture, clubs who narrowly missed out last season — including Middlesbrough and Southampton — will again be aiming to break into the top two, along with Birmingham City. However, they may face a tougher task against the financial and squad advantages held by the three relegated Premier League clubs.
At the bottom of the table, attention turns to the three clubs promoted from League One: Lincoln City, Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City. All three enter the campaign as favourites for an immediate return to the third tier. Lincoln, despite topping League One last season, are seen by some bookmakers as the most vulnerable, with odds as low as 8/11 for relegation.
Bolton, however, are viewed as an equally strong candidate to go down, priced at 11/8 by BetVictor. The Trotters won last season's League One play-off final but finished a substantial 28 points behind champions Lincoln. Manager Steven Schumacher, who previously led Plymouth Argyle to a league title before a difficult spell at Stoke City in the Championship, will be under scrutiny if his side struggle early on. Bolton's recruitment this summer has been modest, with most incoming players arriving on free transfers and only Liverpool academy defender Luca Stephenson commanding a fee above £1million.
Other clubs who endured tough campaigns last season, such as Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, could also find themselves drawn into a relegation battle if their form dips again.
With the new campaign just weeks away, the Championship looks set for another fiercely competitive season, with the division's newly relegated heavyweights expected to dominate the promotion race while the freshly promoted clubs fight to establish themselves at this level.
Based on reporting from The Independent.