Leicester's Championship promotion odds shorten after Birmingham win

Leicester's Championship Promotion Odds Shorten After Birmingham Win

Stephy Mavididi's late strike on Saturday earned Leicester City a crucial 2-1 win against Birmingham City at the King Power that shortened their Championship promotion odds.

Mavididi's goal ensured the Foxes have collected successive wins and they now sit a point clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand on their rivals, after Ipswich Town and Leeds United slipped up at the weekend. Leicester are now seen as 1/16 certainties by the bookmakers for promotion back to the Premier League, just months after they had lost their top-flight status.

Saturday's early match saw Norwich City put a dent in the top-two hopes of neighbours Ipswich Town. Kieran McKenna's side were unusually flat, and a goal by Marcelino Nunez was enough to give the Canaries a crucial three points in the play-off race. Ipswich stay in second but only have a cushion of a single point. The bookies have them at 4/7 in the Championship promotion odds.

Leeds lost their chance to improve their hopes of automatic promotion by losing 2-1 at another Championship play-off hopeful, Coventry City. Joel Piroe's reply proved to be little more than a consolation strike for Daniel Farke's side, who have only won one of their last three. That run leaves them at 1/3 in the Championship promotion odds, with just five matches still to play.

Southampton remain outsiders in the race for the top two, with odds of around 8/5 for the Saints to claim automatic promotion following a goalless draw away to Blackburn Rovers. Both Adam Armstrong and Sammie Szmodics, the league's top two goalscorers, drew a blank at Ewood Park. That leaves Szmodics a 4/9 shot to finish top of the scoring charts, with Armstrong 5/2.

West Brom's 2-2 draw at Stoke City was their third draw in a row, but the Baggies are still comfortable in fifth place and seen as 1/20 sure-fire favourites for a top-six finish this term.

Just behind West Brom are Norwich (2/5 in the Championship top-six betting odds), with the Canaries taking maximum points from their past eight games in front of their own fans. Not many teams will fancy a trip to Carrow Road when the play-off drama unfurls next month.

Beating Leeds saw Coventry's odds of finishing in the Championship's top six cut to 5/2. The Sky Blues are four points behind Norwich, but they have a game in hand to play. Mark Robins' men go to Southampton in midweek and also have an FA Cup semi-final to think about too.

Hull City could still force their way into the play-offs, though their odds are set at 9/1 following Fabio Carvalho's brace in a 3-1 victory at Cardiff City on Saturday.

The Tigers also have a game in hand over both Norwich and West Brom, with that game coming on Wednesday at home to Middlesbrough, who are now seen as 50/1 outsiders.