After strong seasons in the Championship, Leeds United and West Bromwich find themselves in the home stretch and looking to solidify their automatic promotion places come the end of the campaign.
While the benefits of Premier League football may not compare to those exclusive benefits with a VIP casino, therevis certainly a big financial incentive involved for the clubs at the top of England's second tier. With that in mind, Leeds and West Brom will be hoping that, if they get there, they can hold on to those benefits for the long term and not fall straight back down to the Championship.
With such strong chances that these two teams will hold Premier League status next season, it is worth exploring how they might fare in English football's top tier and how they might need to adapt in order to survive.
Men in control
A newly-promoted team depends as much on its manager's guidance as it does on its players. Both teams will hope that the experience each of their respective head coaches offer will prove useful.
For Leeds, the Premier League would be new ground for Marcelo Bielsa, though they would hope his 30 years in management would prove he is up to the task. Bielsa's influence has seen Leeds become a commanding force within the Championship and it is no doubt that their football could impose itself on the top tier.
For West Brom, Slaven Bilic's previous success in the Premier League with West Ham United will mean he will not be out of his depth if they do find themselves promoted. Unlike Bielsa, these are familiar waters to the Croatian and this could be the difference between the Baggies staying up or going down.
Squad depth
Both sides will be looking towards certain players to step up when it comes to the highly demanding nature of the Premier League, with many proving that their quality surpasses that of the Championship.
The West Midlands side will hope that key figures such as Sam Johnstone, Kyle Bartley and Matty Phillips will be up to the task of being the foundations for Bilic's relatively young side.
For the Yorkshire giants, they have a significantly older team than their promotion rivals, and it will be interesting to see whether the likes of captain Liam Cooper, Mateusz Klich and Pablo Hernandez will be as involved if they become a top-tier side.
Changes needed
If there is one team both Leeds and West Brom should look towards for guidance in how to do well in the Premier League, it is Sheffield United. Bringing through younger, cheaper talent from other Championship and European sides means a team can be more easily adaptable when required.
West Brom are heading in the right direction with the acquisition of Matheus Pereira after an automatic buyout clause was triggered back in March, along with their pursuit of young QPR wing-back Bright Osayi-Samuel.
With Leeds, bringing in players should not be too much hassle with the stature and reputation of Bielsa at the helm, but they will need to be wary not to let too much talent go as well. The holding of Kalvin Phillips, who has been linked to a number of Premier League clubs, needs to be just as much a priority as new signings.
If both sides can be shrewd about their summer business and not follow in the footsteps of previous overspenders like Fulham or Aston Villa, then Premier League life may just be kind to them.
