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Sky Bet Championship 2019/20: Fans predict their club's fate

Watch season-opener - Luton vs Middlesbrough - live on Sky Sports Football on Friday August 2 from 7pm; Kick-off at 7.45pm

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Fans from Championship clubs get ready for the start of the 2019/20 season...

We asked fans from all 24 Sky Bet Championship clubs to tell us their hopes for the upcoming season, and where they expect to finish...

Barnsley

Joseph Beardsall, @josephbeardsall

Hopes for the season? I would love to say promotion. But, realistically, a steady mid-table finish on our return to the Championship would be a great achievement.

Where do you hope to finish? 10th.

Where do you expect to finish? 14th. We did not have the strongest of pre-seasons.

BRISTOL, ENGLAND - MAY 04: during the Sky Bet League One match between Bristol Rovers and Barnsley at Memorial Stadium on May 4, 2019 in Bristol, United Kingdom. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

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Ahead of the opening weekend of the season we pick out key stats and facts from the EFL

Birmingham

Emily Drakeley, @emdrakeley

Hopes for the season? After Garry Monk's sacking and the lack of investment, I would have put us just above the relegation zone. However, since Pep Clotet's appointment as caretaker manager, the club have made some smashing signings.

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Where do you hope to finish? 9th.

Where do you expect to finish? 13th. I am not sure how quickly the team will gel and adapt to Pep's new system.

Blackburn

Daniel Scott, @TalkBlackburn

Hopes for the season? My main hopes are for Blackburn to make the play-offs and maintain the current squad.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th. Our side is strong enough to push for play-offs.

Where do you expect to finish? 10th. A more realistic finish with our current squad and depth.

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Brentford

Billy Grant, @BillyTheBee99

Hopes for the season? We need to keep Neal Maupay, Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins as they are key to us making a promotion push. It would be the icing on the cake if our final season at Griffin Park went off with a bang.

Where do you hope to finish? 4th. Assuming we lose no more key players.

Where do you expect to finish? 6th. But we always lose in the play-offs. 9th time lucky?

Bristol City

Paul Binning, @TheExiledRobin

Hopes for the season? There is a real feel-good buzz around the place. We smashed our transfer record and have improved our league position five seasons in a row. This finally might just be our year.

Where do you hope to finish? 4th. If we sign a quality forward and replace Adam Webster if he leaves.

Where do you expect to finish? 8th. Just not quite enough depth of quality.

Cardiff

Bethan Phillips, @bethphill_

Hopes for the season?

I would be lying if I said I did not want to bounce back to the Premier League but it is going to be tough. As long as we are in the mix I will be happy. Winning the South Wales and Severnside Derbies would be a bonus.

Where do you hope to finish? 2nd. With Neil Warnock at the helm, who knows what may happen.

Where do you expect to finish? 3rd. I would like to avoid the play-offs but it will be difficult.

Charlton

Ollie Cook, @SE7Pod

Hopes for the season? Consolidation - establishing ourselves in the league before pushing on. Staying in the Championship is our main goal and we have the ability and characters to do that.

Where do you hope to finish? 15th.

Where do you expect to finish? 21st.

Derby

Ollie Wright, @derbycountyblog

Hopes for the season? Phillip Cocu will be able to adapt quickly to English football - keeping us competitive while also continuing the unfinished squad rebuilding project which began under Frank Lampard.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th. Hopefully we can add the right signings before the deadline.

Where do you expect to finish? 6th. An achievable target in a wide open division.

Fulham

Sammy James, @FulhamishPod

Hopes for the season? Promotion has to be the main aim. Ivan Cavaleiro, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Anthony Knockaert is surely the best front three in the division. Still need additions in defence to be certain of top six.

Where do you hope to finish? 2nd. We need to make the most of our strong squad.

Where do you expect to finish? 3rd. I just wonder if Scott Parker's inexperience may just cost us that automatic slot.

Huddersfield

Richard Kosmala, @superkos

Hopes for the season? To start enjoying watching Huddersfield matches once again knowing when the opposition scores, we actually have a chance of coming back.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th.

Where do you expect to finish? 9th.

Hull

Bobbi Hadgraft, @bobbihadg

Hopes for the season? I would have said survival a couple of weeks ago. However, following a series of promising signings and a favourable managerial appointment in Grant McCann, I would love to push for the play-offs.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th.

Where do you expect to finish? 15th.

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Ali and George from the Not The Top 20 podcast predict who will be promoted and relegated from the Sky Bet Championship in the upcoming season

Leeds

Oscar Marriott, @AllLeedsTV

Hopes for the season? We will continue to see the scintillating brand of football from last season. We just need to be a little more clinical in games to gain promotion this time around.

Where do you hope to finish? 2nd. The ambition has to be to go one step further this season.

Where do you expect to finish? 2nd. This is the most optimistic I have felt in a long time heading into a season.

Luton

Lewis Williams, @LewisT_Williams

Hopes for the season? To not get relegated. Back-to-back-to-back promotions would be tremendous but, in reality, Championship survival is key.

Where do you hope to finish? 18th.

Where do you expect to finish? 21st.

Luton Town are the Sky Bet League One champions

Middlesbrough

Robert Nichols, Fly Me To The Moon Fanzine

Hopes for the season? To see our team play good attacking football under Jonathan Woodgate and watch our young players develop. Hopefully we won't lose Britt Assombalonga and Darren Randolph.

Where do you hope to finish? 2nd. Automatic promotion is the aim.

Where do you expect to finish? 6th.

Jonathan Woodgate is the new head coach of Middlesbrough

Millwall

James Blewett, @millwalljdb

Hopes for the season? After a very active summer and several players leaving, it could be a tough season. I worry about where the goals will come from but like to think we will still finish mid-table.

Where do you hope to finish? 15th.

Where do you expect to finish? 16th. A season of transition for us.

Nottingham Forest

Scott Eley, @29Eley

Hopes for the season? A top-half finish has to be the aim as we try to forge a new identity under new manager Sabri Lamouchi. We need continuity and I am worried that - after a really tough start - if things do not come together quickly, the axe will loom again.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th.

Where do you expect to finish? 9th. Another season of fizzling out.

Preston

Sam Martin, @socially_sam

Hopes for the season? More consistency. We have been a mid-upper-table team for too long now. But we need to win more games if we are ever going to push for promotion.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th. I always hope for 6th place.

Where do you expect to finish? 14th. I do not think we will do as well as last season.

QPR

Gareth Dixon, @GWDixie

Hopes for the season? Keeping well clear of relegation with an improved home record. Conceding less goals. Watching our young players developing into stars of the Championship.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th. A surprise package for the play-offs?

Where do you expect to finish? 12th. Never bothering top six but well clear of the bottom three.

Reading

Becka White, @MissBeckaEllen

Hopes for the season? Jose Gomes has made supporting Reading enjoyable again and I hope that feeling continues. Watching more great performances. Seeing our youth players flourish and having a more stable campaign would be perfect.

Where do you hope to finish? 12th. I am hoping for a relatively low-key, but comfortable season.

Where do you expect to finish? 17th. There is still a lot of work to do, but we will continue to show improvement.

Sheffield Wednesday

Natalie Dean, @NatKD182

Hopes for the season? Get in a manager that knows what he is doing. Get the team to give us some performances to be proud of. I really want to enjoy watching Wednesday this season.

Where do you hope to finish? 6th. Three quarters of the league will be hoping for the same.

Where do you expect to finish? 8th. Some good pre-season performances have given reason for optimism.

Stoke

Ben Rowley, @benarowley

Hopes for the season? Promotion. We still have an excellent squad and an exciting manager who seems to be taking us places. Saying that, if the club wants fans on-side, the players need to put up more of a fight than we did last season.

Where do you hope to finish? 2nd. No more embarrassing home defeats and binary scorelines.

Where do you expect to finish? 2nd. I'm being optimistic.

Swansea

Julie Kissick, ‪@SwanseaJackGirl

Hopes for the season? Improve on last campaign when we finished 10th, be true to our playing style and give the new manager Steve Cooper time to consolidate and build.

Where do you hope to finish? 4th. Possible if we can keep some key players and if Borja Baston comes good.

Where do you expect to finish? 6th. Play-offs are the least we should be aiming for.

SWANSEA, WALES - JULY 27: Kyle Naughton of Swansea City during the pre-season friendly match between Swansea City and Atalanta at the Liberty Stadium on July 27, 2019 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)

West Brom

Connor Ashfield, @ALBIONFANTV

Hopes for the season? Without a shadow of doubt, automatic promotion. There is a lot of money invested in us being promoted. Anything less will be catastrophic.

Where do you hope to finish? 2nd.

Where do you expect to finish? 2nd. We have a very talented squad and experienced manager.

Wigan

Adam Pendlebury, @PWUPodcast

Hopes for the season? To finish in the top half of the Championship. To integrate our quality academy players into the match-day squad. And to see a Championship away win. I haven't seen one since January 2017!

Where do you hope to finish? 6th. Build on our end-of-season momentum. There is always one surprise team.

Where do you expect to finish? 12th. Lack the depth of squad to challenge for promotion.

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