sport news Championship promotion race: Norwich and Sheffield United lead the charge for ...

The race for one of football's most lucrative prizes, promotion to the Premier League, is hotting up in the Championship.

Over the next two days, the picture will become more clear for those clubs battling at the top, with Norwich and Sheffield United leading the chase for that £160million windfall in the automatic promotion places. 

With only six games left of the season, here is the lowdown on the runners and riders vying for a seat at the top table of English football. 

1. NORWICH CITY 

84 points from 40 matches, +34 goal difference

Delia Smith is surely already planning a promotion banquet. The Canaries have almost managed to escape the coal mine that is the Championship and only a disastrous run of form would see them slide into the play-off places. 

Daniel Farke's side weren't particularly fancied at the start of the season but have only been beaten six times.

With an eight-game winning streak behind them, likely to become nine against relegation-threatened Reading on Wednesday, it looks plain sailing from here. 

Teemu Pukki has been banging them in this season and will fancy taking his tally of 26 up to the 30 mark by the end of this campaign. 

This young, vibrant side are a surprise package, love a late goal and will be a welcome inclusion in the Premier League if they can finish the job.  

Still to come: April 10 - Reading (H), April 14 - Wigan (A), April 19 - Sheffield Wednesday (H), April 22 - Stoke (A), April 27 - Blackburn (H), May 5 - Aston Villa (A).

Teemu Pukki leads the league with 26 goals and Norwich look set to win the Championship

Teemu Pukki leads the league with 26 goals and Norwich look set to win the Championship 

2. SHEFFIELD UNITED

77 points from 40 games, + 30 goal difference 

What an incredible job Chris Wilder has done to lead the Blades to an automatic promotion spot with six games remaining. 

They only lead Leeds by a solitary point and this battle could come right down to the wire. 

West Brom are seven points back so it looks like a straight duel between the two northern powerhouses for second unless Norwich unravel. 

Billy Sharp has been in remarkable form and fired Sheffield United into 2nd place

Billy Sharp has been in remarkable form and fired Sheffield United into 2nd place

Where Norwich have Pukki carrying the goalscoring burden, Sheffield United have relied on the razor sharp instincts and predatory ability of 33-year-old Billy Sharp. 

There's life in the old dog yet and they'll need him to be firing if Leeds mount a final assault. 

On Wednesday night they head to St Andrew's to take on Birmingham and the visitors have a terrible recent record there. The Blues have won their previous four league games against United at home, keeping a clean sheet in three of them. 

With winnable games against Millwall and Ipswich to come, Wilder might just be quietly confident of delivering an unlikely promotion. 

Still to come: April 10 - Birmingham (A), April 13 - Millwall (H), April 19 - Nottingham Forest (H), April 24 - Hull (A), April 27 - Ipswich (H), May 5 - Stoke (A) 

Chris Wilder will know it looks like a straight shootout with Leeds for automatic promotion

Chris Wilder will know it looks like a straight shootout with Leeds for automatic promotion

3. LEEDS UNITED 

76 points from 40 games, + 24 goal difference

The 1-0 defeat by Birmingham on Saturday came at a terrible time for Marcelo Bielsa's side. 

They've played some quite scintillating football this season and most people seem to have a soft spot for the utterly mad but fascinating manager (with the exception of Frank Lampard). 

How will the Argentine's obsessive streak handle the nerves of a scrap with Sheffield United over six games?

As an impartial observer, it would be brilliant to see Leeds back in the Premier League but instability has become a permanent feature of life at Ellend Road. 

Predictions in the Championship are a fool's game, even more so where the Whites are concerned. They visit Preston on Tuesday night and can leapfrog Sheffield United with a win, seizing that mental initiative. 

They wouldn't mind if it came down to the last day of the season as lowly Ipswich lie in wait but home games against Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa before then are likely to be crucial. 

Still to come: April 9 - Preston (A), April 13 - Sheffield Wednesday (H), April 19 - Wigan (H), April 22 - Brentford (A), April 27 - Aston Villa (H), May 5 - Ipswich (A) 

Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds are fantastic to watch but suffered defeat by Birmingham

Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds are fantastic to watch but suffered defeat by Birmingham 

4. WEST

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