EFL 17/1 Acca – Gab Sutton

While it’s understandable that Bristol City and Coventry are favourites for top six finishes, going into the Championship’s final day, Middlesbrough have arguably the biggest advantage of the three outsiders: the ability to sink a Play-Off rival with a win.

Although sitting ninth, two points off the Play-Offs, a victory would see them leapfrog the Sky Blues and leaving them needing just two of the other three relevant games to go their way.

If Boro win and two of the following three scenarios take place – Bristol City lose to PNE, Millwall fail to win at Burnley, and Blackburn fail to win at Sheffield United – they’ll head into the post-season.

Of those, City face a North End side who need a win to guarantee survival, while Alex Neil and Valerien Ismael’s respective sides are travelling to two of the best teams in the league, and Middlesbrough themselves are going to a Coventry side who have lost back-to-back games and have issues in the goalkeeping department.

After Huddersfield won 2-0 at Leyton Orient back in November, they were 16 places higher and 14 points better off, and few would have expected the final day return fixture to be the O’s playing to secure a top six berth, and the Terriers to have long since given up on their season.

That, though, just shows how much football can change, and Richie Wellens’ side can book their Play-Off spot if they match or better Reading’s result at home to another fallen Yorkshire Play-Off candidate in Barnsley.

Form favours the Orient, who have won their last five league games, and accrued 64 points from 32 games since November – only runaway leaders Birmingham have amassed more – thanks to star contributions from the likes of Ethan Galbraith, Jamie Donley and Charlie Kelman.

Whether it’s the East Londoners who get in, or Reading, though, it’ll be an astonishing achievement from either, given the respective challenges both have faced.

Grimsby are eighth and will be guaranteed a spot if they beat sixth-placed AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, due to being two points off their opponents going in.

Plus, there’s a possibility that simply avoiding defeat might be enough, because although their goal difference is 15 lower than seventh-placed Salford, they’re level on points with Karl Robinson’s side, so if they lose at relegated Carlisle, a draw would be enough for the Mariners.

Town don’t go into the game in the best of form, four winless, but they’ve not been far off, drawing three of those games, and having late two-goal leads in two; plus, they’ve tended to respond quickly to setbacks this season, which speaks to high morale.

In some respects, it’s preferable to know they’ll likely need to win, whereas Wimbledon knowing a draw would get them into the Play-Offs could foster a dangerously conservative mentality, especially for a team possibly low on confidence with no goals in three.