Championship play-off preview: Four clubs battle for Premier League spot
Leeds, Southampton, West Brom and Norwich will battle for a spot in the top flight, with the first legs of both semi-finals set to take place on Sunday, May 12th before the reverse fixtures on Thursday, May 16th and Friday, May 17th.
In the Championship, whoever finishes third faces sixth place in one semi-final while fourth and fifth go head-to-head in the other.
This year, that sees Leeds paired with Norwich and Southampton pitted against West Brom. Whoever finished lower in the play-off spots from each fixture will play the first leg at home.
Norwich v Leeds
Leeds were pushing for automatic promotion right until the last game of the regular season but ultimately came up short, winning just one of their final six matches including losses against strugglers QPR and Blackburn.
That has seen supporters' faith in both manager Daniel Farke and his squad waiver heading into the play-offs, despite a strong campaign overall finishing on 90 points.
One positive for the Yorkshire side though, is that Farke has masterminded promotion from the second tier twice in recent history - both when he was in charge of their opponents this time around, albeit neither time through the play-offs.
Norwich, meanwhile, stumbled over the line to finish sixth despite losing on the final day to relegated Birmingham and only winning two of their last seven matches.
Former Huddersfield boss David Wagner has divided fan opinion but in the end, has got them in with a chance of another promotion to the Premier League.
The Canaries had a largely positive campaign including wins against fierce rivals Ipswich and fellow play-off contenders Southampton.
Their record against Leeds isn't as rosy, though, losing both fixtures this term and two years ago when the sides met in the Premier League.
Norwich even led 2-0 after an hour in the home fixture this season but would concede three goals in 22 minutes to fall to an embarrassing defeat.
Both club's main strengths lie in their attacking options, particularly for Leeds who boast mercurial wingers Crycensio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto as well as experienced Championship strikers in Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford.
Add in the likes of Georginio Rutter and Daniel James and Farke's men will be difficult to keep at bay.
Summerville was named the Championship Player of the Season after netting 19 and setting up nine, while James and Piroe both scored 13, Gnonto and Bamford bagged eight each and Rutter provided an eye-catching 16 assists.
Despite sometimes struggling to break teams down in the latter part of the campaign, Leeds' attack will be almost impossible to stop if they find their groove in the play-offs.
Norwich possess some firepower of their own which could counteract their opponents.
Star man Gabriel Sara chipped in with 25 goal contributions from midfield (13G 12A) while striker Joshua Sargent scored 16 times despite missing 20 league games - almost half of the entire campaign.
Both those players - as well as winger Jonathan Rowe - could end up in the Premier League next season whether Norwich get there or not.
While both clubs have exceptional offensive records, Leeds have a substantially better defence having conceded the second-fewest in the division (43) with goalkeeper Illan Meslier winning the golden glove after keeping 18 clean sheets.
Sunday's first leg is sure to be an entertaining one with plenty of goals that should set up an excellent reverse fixture - it will be interesting to see if Farke can get the best of his previous employers once again.
West Brom v Southampton
The other semi-final sees fourth-placed Southampton travel to fifth-placed West Brom.
The Saints missed out on automatic promotion after a disappointing end to the campaign, despite going on a 25-game unbeaten run earlier in the season.
Manager Russell Martin is another who has divided opinion during his first year in charge with his eye-catching football often looking great but not always delivering results.
Defeats against both Ipswich and Leicester dampened the idea that Southampton are top contenders and left them hoping for promotion through the play-offs.
West Brom are probably the only side in the play-off spots where supporters are universally happy with their manager, with Carlos Corberan widely appreciated as one of the best in the division.
This is particularly down to the job he has done with limited resources after not spending a penny in transfer fees in either window this term - relying on loans and the experienced heads already in the squad to push for a top-six finish.
Their record against Southampton isn't impressive, though, losing both matches during the regular season.
Southampton boast one of the best forwards in the league in Adam Armstrong, who scored 21 goals and got 13 assists across the campaign.
He will be one to watch during the semi-finals and his firepower could be key in sending the Saints to Wembley.
Their other source of goals is fellow forward Che Adams who has netted 16, but no one else in the squad has managed more than six.
Unlike their play-off competitors, West Brom lack a main goalscorer.
Brandon Thomas-Asante tops the charts with 11 but the team shares the attacking load, with numerous players chipping in across the squad.
That includes January loanee Mikey Johnston who has scored seven since his arrival and possesses the ability to win a match on his own with his exceptional long-range striking.
What West Brom might lack in attack they make up for in defence, with goalkeeper Alex Palmer and defensive pairing Cedric Kipre and Kyle Bartley forming a formidable unit at the back.
Add in midfield general Okay Yokuslu - who on his day can dominate any pitch - and the Baggies will be no pushovers in the play-offs.
Southampton will be desperate to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, while Corberan's West Brom will present an incredibly tough challenge across two legs which sets up another thoroughly entertaining semi-final.
