How many points do Millwall need to secure Championship playoff spot?

Millwall are currently on course to land a playoff spot as they look to go one better than last season. The Lions are currently in fourth spot and as many as nine points ahead of Southampton in seventh, holding a comfortable advantage as the final 11 games approach.

Automatic promotion is not out of reach for the Lions, who are just four points behind second placed Middlesbrough, and it’s likely they will be looking up between now and the end of the season, hoping to catch Boro.

But as far as a playoff spot goes, how long will it be until the play-off spot is wrapped up?

How many points do Millwall need to secure a playoff spot?

It’s impossible to say the exact number, but we can look back at previous seasons to see what the average is. Across the last 10 Championship seasons, if we take the team that finished seventh and add one point to their total to get an average of the minimum points total needed to finish sixth without the need for goal difference, the average is 72.4.

That would mean Millwall only need 11 points to surpass that total, meaning they would likely wrap up a playoff spot by April. Currently, Southampton in seventh have 53 points with 11 games remaining, which means there are 33 points still to get.

The Saints need 20 points to surpass that total themselves, and 20 points from a possible 33 is no easy feat, which may mean the total is accurate, or close to it, this season.

As for the predicted table from OPTA, they suggest Southampton will finish on an average of 69.86 points from their simulations, while Wrexham are predicted to land a playoff spot with 72.87, which would be more than two points more than they need.

Millwall are tipped to finish fourth with an average of 78.77 points.