THE Premier League may consider itself the most exciting league in the world but fans of those clubs battling it out at the top of the Sky Bet Championship would strongly disagree.

This is because clubs in England's second tier are engulfed in a multi-team tussle for promotion closer than any witnessed in recent memory – and certainly much more competitive than the average Premier League title race.

With ten games of the standard 46 remaining, the top four sides are incredibly all tied on 66 points, separated by goal difference alone, with Norwich in fifth only a point behind on 65.

Whether this season's titanic struggle will sink before it reaches its climax in May is yet to be seen, but where do the remaining fixtures suggest a breakaway from the group to come from?

On paper Middlesbrough have the most daunting set of remaining fixtures with away trips to all four of their fellow top five clubs to come, plus a home clash with seventh-placed Ipswich.

In total, their five games against teams in the top seven is more than any other side currently occupying a place in those positions, meaning the average points per game of their 10 opponents stands at 1.48 – comfortably more than any other side in the promotion reckoning.

While Derby have to play four of their last ten games against teams currently sitting between first and seventh, three of them are at home: Watford, Middlesbrough and Brentford must all make the journey to Pride Park. This is good news for Steve McClaren, whose side boast the best home record in the division with 11 wins and just two defeats.

The team to watch could be sixth-placed Brentford, currently sitting four points behind the leaders on 62. With just one game left against their immediate promotion rivals in the top seven - their aforementioned trip to second-placed Derby – they could be serious contenders for a late surge in to the automatic promotion places.

The problem for Brentford, however, is whether their soon-to-be departing manager, Mark Warburton, can motivate his team through the final throes of the campaign knowing that he will not be there to reap the rewards next season.

Norwich's destiny is likely to be decided at Carrow Road where they still have to square up to Middlesbrough and Derby, the only two occasions during the remainder of the season they have to face teams also in the promotion race.

As a result, the average number of points won per match by their opponents is a modest 1.35 - only Brentford (1.25) and Bournemouth (1.30) have more straightforward assignments, at least on paper.