Plymouth are the EFL Championship relegation odds leaders following a winless start under new boss Wayne Rooney.
Can the former England legend guide the Pilgrims away from the drop zone? The odds suggest the challenge may already be too great.
Best EFL Championship relegation odds
Plymouth – 10/11
Plymouth appointed Rooney as head coach after the 2023/24 Championship campaign. The Devonshire club avoided relegation to League One on the final day last season with a 1-0 victory over Hull City.
Early in the 2024/25 season, there has been little progress under the former Derby County boss. Rooney’s side were thrashed 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day. While subsequent 1-1 draw against Hull and QPR have eased the pressure slightly, a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke left the Pilgrims inside the relegation zone during the international break.
Rooney Plymouth’s issues at both ends of the pitch to steer his team away from relegation danger. In just four games, the southwest outfit has the Championship’s worst XG for (1.95) and against (10.46).
Oxford – 2/1
Oxford have made a strong start in the Championship following promotion via the League One play-offs. The U’s have shown their ability to mix it in the second tier with impressive wins over Norwich (2-0) and Preston (3-1). In addition, the newly promoted side almost claimed a point at Coventry, only to concede an injury-time winner in a 3-2 defeat.
Former Oxford youth team coach turned manager Des Buckingham has taken a respectable 1.5 points per game since arriving at the Kassam Stadium in November 2023. Such a return to the Championship could see the U's defy the odds and move clear of relegation danger.
Cardiff – 9/4
One point from three games and 10 goals conceded leaves Cardiff bottom of the Championship heading into matchday five. However, attacking issues will be a more pressing concern for the Bluebirds, who have scored just one league goal this season.
With experience in their ranks through Aaron Ramsey, Callum O'Dowda, Calum Chambers and Chris Willock, Cardiff has enough guile to turn things around.
Yet there are concerns about where goals will come from for Erol Bulut’s team. New arrival Wilfried Kanga has largely been entrusted with leading the line in the opening four games but the Frenchman has only scored 12 in his previous 41 matches in all competitions.
Portsmouth – 12/5
The 2023/24 League One winners have been generally hard to beat early in the Championship season. Three points from four matches is a steady return, although Pompey is still seeking their first win.
The South Coast club’s points have come against tough opponents though. Already, Portsmouth have held pre-season Championship favourites Leeds, play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough and Luton, who were relegated from the Premier League.
John Mousinho has the building blocks of a side that has the potential to compete in the second tier this season. Pompey will likely continue to be hard to beat. In their last 24 competitive games, Portsmouth have only lost three times.
Preston – 10/3
Preston had a rocky start to the new Championship season, which saw their EFL Championship relegation odds increase. Previous manager Ryan Lowe left the club by mutual consent following an opening game defeat to Sheffield United (2-0).
Fortunately, the club moved quickly to appoint former Blades manager Paul Heckingbottom coincidentally. Under their new boss, North End claimed their first win of the season – a 1-0 victory over Luton.
Heckingbottom has a respectable return as a Championship manager, taking 1.48 points per game at this level. Ultimately, the former Barnsley manager has enough experience to help Preston improve on their slow start this season.
Who will be relegated? Here’s our prediction
Current form suggests that Plymouth and Cardiff are the most at threat of relegation. Aside from outright EFL Championship relegation odds, these two clubs have the shortest odds to finish at the bottom of the table.
These sides will hope the threshold for relegation is lower than the 2023/24 Championship campaign. Plymouth’s 51 points were enough to fight off a plummet to League One last season. This was the highest points required to avoid the drop since 2008 when Coventry notched 53 points and finished one place outside the bottom three.
