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Rule change tipped to transform Wrexham and Swansea City seasons as Cardiff City safe There will be three Welsh sides battling it out in the Championship this season The wait is nearly over, and a new Championship season is just around the corner. The curtain comes up on the 26/27 campaign on Friday night with newly-relegated Wolves beginning their bid for promotion back to the Premier League at home to Blackburn Rovers. Wales will have three clubs flying the flag in the second tier this season following Cardiff City's promotion from League One, with Brian Barry-Murphy's side kicking off with a clash against Welsh rivals Wrexham on Monday night. Wrexham will clearly have ambitions of getting into the play-offs this time around, having just missed out last time. As will Swansea City, who begin their campaign with a tricky trip to Stoke City on the Saturday. So, what could the next 46 games (or more) have in store for the best three teams in Wales? Cardiff City Glen Williams It's nigh-on impossible to come to a conclusion before the transfer window is complete, especially considering how inactive - relatively speaking - Cardiff have been in it. At the time of writing, the Bluebirds are at a first-team player deficit compared to last season, with only Jack Moylan having been added to a squad which has lost Ryan Wintle, Calum Scanlon and Omari Kellyman. The major advantage Cardiff have is that they've had a season under Brian Barry-Murphy, who is arguably the club's greatest asset. He is a perfectionist who wants his teams well drilled. Swindon Town boss Ian Holloway described them as a "mini Man City" after losing to them last weekend. And that has been evident in pre-season. A smack in the face in the form of a 6-0 hammering by Midtjylland preceded a number of sharp, impressive attacking performances from Cardiff, with the likes of Alex Robertson, Cian Ashford and Gabriel Osho all emerging as stars of the summer so far, while Yousef Salech got up and running for the season with two against the Robins in the Carabao Cup. But make no mistake, Cardiff need additions. Moylan looks like a very good start; sharp, lively, high work rate and quality in front of goal. But they need far more. It's a slight concern as the season looms that they've not done much work on the transfer front and as such it leaves me conflicted. I believe Cardiff will be a far more efficient machine this season and will surprise those tipping them for the bottom three. They have quality young players who have only evolved thanks to that season in League One last year. But it would be naïve to think they can trouble the promotion places without a number of quality incomings in all areas of the pitch. So, as things stand, I think mid-table is a sensible place to put them. Prediction: 13th Swansea City Tom Coleman There's been a notable feeling of optimism around Swansea City heading into the new season, with the club completing what looks, on the face of it, a fair amount of solid business in the summer transfer window. Unlike previous summers, there hasn't been a huge upheaval of personnel and there haven't been anywhere near the same gaping holes in the squad in need of addressing. Instead, this window has felt more about adding greater strength in depth to key areas, particularly out wide, with Moussa Yeo and Joseph Opoku both joining. New Zealand star Elijah Just can also play there, although early indications suggest Vitor Matos sees him as more of an option in the middle. Stephen Welsh and Tiago Parente have added cover to the defensive areas, while the capture of Ross Stewart has bolstered the attacking options. Should Stewart stay fit, he could prove a real coup, and his importance may grow should Zan Vipotnik be sold. Meanwhile, the emergence of youngster Filip Lissah is clearly very exciting. The 21-year-old was arguably the best right-back in the Scottish Premiership last season while on loan at Falkirk, and looks set for a big role here. As the Carabao Cup clash with Birmingham showed, there's clearly still plenty to work on, but with the play-off places extending to eighth under new rules (five points off where Swans finished last season), a tilt for the post-season schedule surely has to be the aim this time around. Prediction: 8th Wrexham Tom Coleman The end of last season was something of a new experience for Wrexham. After all, they've grown used to spending their summers toasting promotion in recent years. Last term was certainly a promising opening gambit in the Championship, and the disappointment at missing out on the play-offs, despite only just coming up from League One, was testament to the success of their campaign. They finished just two points behind sixth-placed Hull City, who of course would go on to claim promotion. Stretching their season into the play-offs will certainly be the aim for Phil Parkinson and his men this time around. Wrexham have strengthened their squad with Crystal Palace wing-back Danny Imray and Preston's Ben Whitehead both through the door. It looks likely Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson will be joining them too, with an £8m move mooted. Wrexham may well carry on spending after the season gets under way, and while the upper echelons of the league might just be a stretch too far, it wouldn't at all be a surprise to see them land in the play-offs this season. Prediction: 7th What the bookies say To win outright: 1. West Ham 7/4 2. Wolves 11/2 3. Middlesbrough 9/1 4. Burnley 11/1 5. Southampton 14/1 6. Birmingham City 16/1 7. Sheffield United 16/1 8. Norwich City 16/1 9. Wrexham 20/1 10. Millwall 28/1 11. Derby 33/1 12. Stoke 33/1 13. West Brom 40/1 14. Bristol City 40/1 15. Swansea 50/1 16. Watford 66/1 17. Blackburn 66/1 18. QPR 66/1 19. Portsmouth 80/1 20. Cardiff 80/1 21. Bolton 100/1 22. Preston 100/1 23. Charlton 100/1 24. Lincoln 150/1 (Odds courtesy of Bet365 and correct at time of publishing. 18+ please gamble responsibly) *Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Swans news. Sign up to our daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here. Our Swansea City correspondent Tom Coleman is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here, on Instagram, on TikTok and on Facebook.