EFL Championship · Gameweek 5
Gameweek 5 completed
Championship GW5: Results and Original Predictions
Championship Gameweek 5: 12 of 12 final scores verified on 14 September 2026. 8 predictions called the correct result, including 1 exact score; 4 missed. The round is complete.
By Jim · Updated
Championship Gameweek 5: 12 of 12 final scores verified on 14 September 2026. 8 predictions called the correct result, including 1 exact score; 4 missed. The round is complete.
Results are from the API-Football records used by ScoreSocial. The scores and model labels published on 11 September are unchanged. Exact scores are included in the correct-result count. The original preview below is a dated pre-match record. See the full prediction accuracy archive.
Verified results
| Fixture | Published prediction | Final score | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham United v Wrexham | 1–0 | 6–0 | Correct result |
| Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City | 1–2 | 1–0 | Miss |
| Derby County v Birmingham City | 0–1 | 1–2 | Correct result |
| West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers | 1–0 | 1–1 | Miss |
| Blackburn Rovers v Millwall | 1–2 | 3–1 | Miss |
| Charlton Athletic v Portsmouth | 1–1 | 0–0 | Correct result |
| Middlesbrough v Norwich City | 2–1 | 4–3 | Correct result |
| Preston North End v Lincoln City | 0–1 | 0–1 | Exact score |
| Southampton v Bristol City | 2–1 | 4–1 | Correct result |
| Swansea City v Burnley | 1–0 | 3–1 | Correct result |
| Sheffield United v Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1–2 | 0–1 | Correct result |
| Watford v Stoke City | 1–0 | 1–2 | Miss |
Original preview — published before kickoff
Championship Gameweek 5 begins with West Ham United v Wrexham on Friday 11 September and continues through Sunday 13 September 2026. West Ham v Wrexham opens the twelve-match card and Sheffield United v Wolves closes it. Jim's score predictions are now included below, using the authenticated editorial-score-v3.2 output captured on 11 September. They are opinions, not confirmed results.
The EFL's official 2026/27 fixture release establishes the competition calendar. ScoreSocial's provider-linked card was checked on 10 September and closes at the first active Friday kickoff. That earlier deadline matters in a division where most matches take place on Saturday.
Gameweek 5 at a glance
- Friday focus: second-placed West Ham host Wrexham.
- Early leaders: West Brom begin first, one place above West Ham.
- Bottom pressure: Preston, Burnley, Derby and Bolton occupy the lowest four positions.
- Final match: Sheffield United host Wolves on Sunday.
- Prediction status: all 12 v3.2 scores are recorded below, with low-confidence calls identified.
View every score prediction and explanation or visit the Championship prediction league. The completed Gameweek 4 article records the previous round and its prediction outcomes.
What matters this gameweek?
Championship Gameweek 5 opens with West Ham–Wrexham on Friday 11 September, so Friday's first active kickoff closes the full ScoreSocial card before the eleven weekend fixtures. The EFL 2026/27 fixture release establishes the calendar, while the official Championship competition page remains the place for late changes. West Brom lead, West Ham are second and Swansea third; Preston, Burnley, Derby and Bolton occupy the bottom four. West Brom–QPR and Sheffield United–Wolves are tightly balanced by position and recent form. Swansea–Burnley and West Ham–Wrexham show stronger home contrasts, but a score still depends on expected goals and draw risk. The provider-linked form snapshot was generated on 10 September. Any confirmed postponement will be removed before entry closes. The authenticated editorial-score-v3.2 scores are now below, with Swansea 1–0 Burnley and Charlton 1–1 Portsmouth among the calls. Probabilities remain close in several games: Blackburn–Millwall remains a close away lean. A chosen score is an editorial selection, not a claim that the match has a clear favourite.
Position and form snapshot
| Pos | Club | Last five shown by provider |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Bromwich Albion | WLDWW |
| 2 | West Ham United | LDWWW |
| 3 | Swansea City | DWWDL |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers | DWWLD |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic | WWDLD |
| 6 | Middlesbrough | WLWDW |
| 7 | Bristol City | LDWWW |
| 8 | Millwall | WWLLW |
| 9 | Norwich City | LWLWW |
| 10 | Sheffield United | DDWLW |
| 11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | DWWLD |
| 12 | Watford | DDLLW |
| 13 | Southampton | WWDDW |
| 14 | Wrexham | DLWDD |
| 15 | Birmingham City | DWDDL |
| 16 | Stoke City | LLWWD |
| 17 | Portsmouth | LWLLW |
| 18 | Blackburn Rovers | WLDLL |
| 19 | Lincoln City | LLWDD |
| 20 | Cardiff City | DDLLD |
| 21 | Bolton Wanderers | DLLLL |
| 22 | Derby County | DLWLL |
| 23 | Burnley | LLDLD |
| 24 | Preston North End | LLLWL |
This operational snapshot was generated from provider-linked standings on 10 September. Form includes the most recent available league sequence and should be read with opponent strength and venue, not as a prediction by itself.
Confirmed Gameweek 5 fixtures
Friday 11 September: West Ham United v Wrexham.
Saturday 12 September: Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City; Derby County v Birmingham City; West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers; Blackburn Rovers v Millwall; Charlton Athletic v Portsmouth; Middlesbrough v Norwich City; Preston North End v Lincoln City; Southampton v Bristol City; Swansea City v Burnley; Watford v Stoke City.
Sunday 13 September: Sheffield United v Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The card follows the EFL competition schedule. Any late change should be reflected by the active fixture and deadline inside ScoreSocial before users submit.
ScoreSocial fixture predictions
Predictions were rerun through the authenticated editorial-score-v3.2 viewer on 11 September 2026, before kickoff. It combines venue scoring and conceding rates, recent results, available same-competition previous-season evidence and API-Football/Scorebot signals. It selects the leading home/draw/away outcome, then a score within that outcome. Low confidence can reflect a thin sample or conflicting inputs, even when the leading percentage is high. These are Jim's published model-assisted selections, not guaranteed results or a demonstrated accuracy improvement. Availability reporting retains its stated review date; confirmed lineups and individual absences are not directly priced into these scores.
| Fixture | Predicted score | Why |
|---|---|---|
| West Ham United v Wrexham | 1-0 | West Ham's stronger position supplies the home lean. Wrexham's draw-heavy form keeps this narrow and prevents the table gap becoming an inflated score. H/D/A 37/31/32%; model goals 1.33–1.23; confidence low; exact-score probability 8.88%. |
| Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City | 1-2 | Cardiff's greater resistance earns the away selection against struggling Bolton. Only three percentage points separate it from the draw. H/D/A 29/34/37%; model goals 1.35–1.44; confidence low; exact-score probability 8.97%. |
| Derby County v Birmingham City | 0-1 | Birmingham's steadier sequence edges Derby's home venue. The low goal estimates leave a tight match and considerable draw risk. H/D/A 23/36/41%; model goals 0.99–1.3; confidence low; exact-score probability 11.52%. |
| West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers | 1-0 | West Brom's first-place position meets a genuine test from fourth-placed QPR. Home advantage edges a low-total game with considerable draw risk. H/D/A 42/37/21%; model goals 1.27–0.9; confidence low; exact-score probability 12.71%. |
| Blackburn Rovers v Millwall | 1-2 | Millwall's stronger form earns a narrow away selection. Six percentage points separate the win probabilities, so Blackburn's home resistance still matters. H/D/A 32/30/38%; model goals 1.28–1.45; confidence low; exact-score probability 8.01%. |
| Charlton Athletic v Portsmouth | 1-1 | Charlton's stronger table position conflicts with the provider's Portsmouth lean. The revised model puts the draw only one point above an away win. H/D/A 29/36/35%; model goals 1.08–1.13; confidence low; exact-score probability 16.82%. |
| Middlesbrough v Norwich City | 2-1 | Both teams have shown winning form. Middlesbrough's home scoring estimate now supports 2-1, while Norwich remain credible scorers. H/D/A 49/33/18%; model goals 1.69–1.02; confidence low; exact-score probability 9.28%. |
| Preston North End v Lincoln City | 0-1 | Lincoln's recent draws look steadier than Preston's four defeats in five. The away edge remains small, with a low total and substantial draw risk. H/D/A 22/35/43%; model goals 1.1–1.51; confidence low; exact-score probability 9.17%. |
| Southampton v Bristol City | 2-1 | Southampton's unbeaten sequence and home venue narrowly outweigh Bristol City's higher position. Both-team scoring evidence keeps the visitors on the scoresheet. H/D/A 51/32/17%; model goals 2.03–1.22; confidence medium; exact-score probability 8.85%. |
| Swansea City v Burnley | 1-0 | Swansea's stronger opening and Burnley's low away scoring estimate support a home clean-sheet selection. The new model reduces the chosen margin to one goal. H/D/A 52/34/14%; model goals 1.54–0.75; confidence medium; exact-score probability 12.88%. |
| Sheffield United v Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1-2 | The sides are neighbours in the table with similar recent records. Wolves' scoring estimate earns the away lean, but the provider and goal model are not in full agreement. H/D/A 26/32/42%; model goals 1.67–1.99; confidence low; exact-score probability 8.25%. |
| Watford v Stoke City | 1-0 | Watford's home venue edges a close form comparison. The draw remains a substantial alternative to the selected narrow home win. H/D/A 50/34/16%; model goals 1.65–0.92; confidence medium; exact-score probability 10.17%. |
Make your own selections in the Championship prediction league. The same score card is recorded in the prediction-results archive; settled predictions will not be rewritten.
Match-by-match guide
West Ham United v Wrexham
West Ham's three wins in their last five and second-place position make them the clearest early home signal. Wrexham have drawn three of their five-form sequence and can keep matches close. The model's 1–0 reflects that resistance rather than simply following the league-table gap.
Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City
Both clubs start in the bottom five and neither form string supplies a reliable winner. Bolton's four defeats in five are the sharper warning; Cardiff's three draws show more resistance. This is one of the round's highest draw-risk fixtures.
Derby County v Birmingham City
Derby begin 22nd, while Birmingham are 15th with only one defeat in the displayed sequence. The visitors have the stronger stability signal, but local intensity and Derby's home advantage reduce confidence in any narrow direction.
West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers
First meets fourth. West Brom have three wins in five, while QPR have also won twice and lost once. This is a stronger test than a top-versus-bottom fixture, and the final score should reflect two competitive starts rather than force a routine home win.
Blackburn Rovers v Millwall
Millwall are eighth and have three wins in five; Blackburn sit 18th with three defeats. The away direction is meaningful, although Championship away matches often require a larger probability gap than home matches before confidence rises.
Charlton Athletic v Portsmouth
Charlton's fifth-place position and two wins give them the sounder baseline. Portsmouth have alternated sharply, with three losses and two wins. That volatility makes the result direction more useful than copying either side's last score.
Middlesbrough v Norwich City
Both sides have three wins in their displayed form. Middlesbrough are sixth and Norwich ninth, so home advantage creates only a modest separation. This should be treated as a competitive match whose exact total depends on chance quality and confirmed availability.
Preston North End v Lincoln City
Preston are bottom after four defeats in five. Lincoln are 19th but have drawn their last two in the provider sequence. The visitors carry the safer current direction, though neither team's position supports a high-confidence or high-scoring call.
Southampton v Bristol City
Southampton have not lost in five, yet sit 13th after several draws. Bristol City are seventh with three recent wins. This is a good example of why position and form must be combined: the visitors are higher, but Southampton's unbeaten run makes home resistance credible.
Swansea City v Burnley
Third-placed Swansea face a Burnley side in 23rd with three defeats in five. It is the widest table contrast on Saturday. The revised 1–0 forecast reflects Burnley's low scoring estimate, but Swansea still have only a 52% home-win probability.
Watford v Stoke City
Watford are 12th and Stoke 16th. Both have one recent win after difficult sequences. The table gives Watford a small home advantage, while the form data leaves substantial draw probability. Late team news could change a tightly grouped result direction.
Sheffield United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Sunday game matches 10th and 11th. Each displayed sequence contains two wins, two draws and one defeat, making the baseline unusually balanced. The model's 1–2 Wolves pick has a ten-point lead over the draw, but conflicting inputs; the score must be read with that uncertainty.
How to read these scores
The scores above are the model's selected outcomes, not promises. An exact score typically has a much lower probability than the corresponding home win, draw or away win. The low-confidence rows identify tight decisions and disagreements between current form and the provider. Existing fixture and form evidence was reviewed alongside the output; no unsupported availability claim has been added. Read the methodology and accuracy record before comparing these picks with your own.
Availability and deadline check
No complete official division-wide injury list was available on 10 September. Club press conferences are the authoritative source for named absences. The Friday opener closes the entire ScoreSocial entry card, so Saturday-only readers should not leave their selections until the usual afternoon schedule.
What the evidence suggests
- West Ham and Swansea have the clearest home-table contrasts.
- West Brom–QPR and Sheffield United–Wolves are genuinely balanced by current position and form.
- Bolton–Cardiff carries more draw risk than either club's low position alone suggests.
- Southampton–Bristol City is a test of unbeaten form against the stronger early table position.
Sources reviewed
Fact-check date: 10 September 2026 for fixture, form and availability reporting. Model predictions were revised separately on 11 September; confirmed lineups are not incorporated.
Prediction revision: 11 September 2026. Scores and probabilities above replace the pre-kickoff v3.1 selections; the earlier capture remains archived. No started fixture or recorded result was changed.