Don’t be surprised if Brentford make the play-offs, Brighton are betting everything on returning hero Bobby Zamora and anything is possible with QPR

Title challengers



There is always pressure on the relegated sides. For Hull City, the hope is that Steve Bruce can work his magic again at this level. Hull’s manager has won three promotions from the Championship. Yet James Chester, Robbie Brady, Liam Rosenior, Paul McShane and Tom Ince have left, and Dame N’Doye is heading to Trabzonspor. The squad are solid but lacking in creativity and Bruce is desperate to keep Abel Hernández. Hull’s prospects will improve if Robert Snodgrass can be influential when he returns from the serious knee injury that has kept him out for a year.

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Perhaps there will be stronger challenges from elsewhere. Middlesbrough froze in their defeat in the play-off final by Norwich City last season, yet the manager Aitor Karanka has done a commendable job and they arguably have the best player in the division after signing Stewart Downing from West Ham United. Downing’s presence should ensure that Lee Tomlin will not be missed – but will Middlesbrough cope without Patrick Bamford up front?

One team who should have no problem in attack are Ipswich Town. Daryl Murphy knocked in 27 goals last season and struck up a productive partnership with Freddie Sears during the run-in, and David McGoldrick is always a threat when fit. Jonathan Douglas is a good signing from Brentford and Mick McCarthy is an excellent Championship manager; play-off semi-finalists last season, no one will relish games against them.

Derby County offer a different kind of test. They were capable of outstanding football under Steve McClaren, only to develop a reputation for choking, losing the play-off final to Queens Park Rangers two years ago and imploding on the final day last season. A 3-0 defeat by Reading dictated that a side who were contenders for automatic promotion ended up finishing eighth. Such wastefulness means that many regard them as a soft touch and their new manager, Paul Clement, will have to rid them of the mental scars. Clement is an intriguing appointment. Carlo Ancelotti’s former No2 is clearly talented, but will his work with the world’s best players at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid be relevant in the Championship in his first managerial job?

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Benik Afobe was prolific in the Arsenal youth teams before joining Wolves and his partnership with Nouha Dicko has huge potential.

Photograph: JMP/Rex Shutterstock

Kenny Jackett certainly has more experience of the lower leagues than Clement. His Wolverhampton Wanderers side have lost the exciting Bakary Sako, but Benik Afobe and Nouha Dicko are a dangerous front two.

Play-off contenders



Anyone who fails to match Burnley’s effort will lose to them and Sean Dyche’s side should never be written off. Dyche has not taken long to prove that he is a highly capable manager who knows how to get the best out of a seemingly talented group of players and Burnley are guaranteed to be awkward, organised opponents.

Yet the right-back Kieran Trippier has gone to Tottenham Hotspur, Danny Ings has joined Liverpool and Ashley Barnes is out with a serious knee injury. Dyche could have problems in attack if Jelle Vossen, who scored seven goals on loan at Middlesbrough last season, does not settle after his £2.5m move from Genk. He has signed two young strikers, Dan Agyei and Chris Long, but the onus is on Sam Vokes to replicate his prolific 2013‑14 form after cruciate ligament damage held him back last season.

B-teams will have hopes of making the play-offs. Birmingham have improved hugely under Gary Rowett and Bristol City could take some stopping under Steve Cotterill after they rampaged through League One. Blackburn Rovers have lost Rudy Gestede and need to hang on to Jordan Rhodes, but Gary Bowyer has made them tough to beat.

And pay close attention to Brentford after their decision to part company with Mark Warburton after he led them to the play-offs last season. They have hired the unheralded Dutchman Marinus Dijkhuizen, and although the squad could be broken up, the stats-based model favoured by the owner, Matthew Benham, has worked brilliantly at his other club, Midtjylland, who are the Danish champions.

Queens Park Rangers are hard to read. They could challenge, they could go down, they could float around harmlessly in mid-table. The past four years have been a shambles at Loftus Road – poor Tony Fernandes – and Chris Ramsey has his work cut out in his first full season as manager. Ramsey’s cause will not be helped by the likely departure of Charlie Austin.

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Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday are probably in for a season of mid-table respectability, not that the Championship is a league that is kind on those tasked with trying to make sense of it.





Relegation contenders



And so we move on to grislier matters. It should be closer this year. The bottom three were a mess last season and the struggles of Blackpool, Millwall and Wigan Athletic meant that it was hard to make a proper assessment of the teams who stayed up. Complacency would be ill-advised.

MK Dons and Preston North End, managed by Karl Robinson and Simon Grayson respectively, could surprise a few people after winning promotion from League One but may easily be dragged into a relegation battle and will settle for a quiet season in the lower reaches of mid-table.

Brighton & Hove Albion have cheered up their disgruntled supporters by re-signing a former hero, Bobby Zamora, from QPR. Zamora scored 83 goals during his first spell with Brighton and Chris Hughton is banking on the striker to have a revitalising effect on a club who reached the play-offs in 2013 and 2014. His wily, battering-ram game will trouble defenders. Yet the fans who watched Zamora in his youth will have to remember he is 34 and his physical condition will have to be managed carefully. Brighton finished 20th last season.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bobby Zamora is a hero to Brighton fans but may struggle to keep them out of relegation trouble at the age of 34. Photograph: ProSports/Rex Shutterstock

Reading were a place and three points above them and they had a weird campaign. Their league form was dismal but they took Arsenal to extra-time in their 2-1 defeat by Arsène Wenger’s side in the FA Cup semi-final. That demonstrated that they were capable of finishing higher and Steve Clarke will be seeking more consistency from his players. Stephen Quinn could be an astute signing from Hull.

Chris Powell’s Huddersfield Town ought to have enough to steer clear of trouble, but it could be another difficult season for Fulham. They did well to recover after making a terrible start under Felix Magath, who was swiftly replaced by Kit Symons, but were never entirely comfortable and finished 17th. Fulham will rely on the goals of Ross McCormack, but it is hard to see them making much of an impression.

Bolton Wanderers also flirted with disaster last season and Dougie Freedman was sacked in October and replaced by Neil Lennon. The former Celtic manager showed his qualities by inspiring a huge rise in form before Christmas, but they won only five league matches in 2015 and Lennon is working on a limited budget.

As for Leeds United, appointing Uwe Rösler is a step in the right direction, and Stuart Dallas is a clever signing from Brentford. But chaos is always lurking nearby at Elland Road and who knows what to expect from the club’s owner, Massimo Cellino?

Leeds’s near neighbours Rotherham United will struggle again, although it would be nice to see their manager, Steve Evans, triumphantly wearing a sombrero and beach shorts again.

Three players to watch



Demarai Gray The Birmingham City winger is a local lad and the 19-year-old has caught the eye of several clubs. Birmingham rebuffed an approach from Bournemouth for him.

Chuba Akpom This is a big season for the young striker, who has joined Hull on loan from Arsenal. Akpom did not impress during a spell at Nottingham Forest last season.

Zach Clough The 20-year-old Bolton Wanderers striker demonstrated his potential in their FA Cup defeat by Liverpool last season and should continue to improve.