Claridge is a pundit for The Football League Show and Football Focus

Sheffield Wednesday and Crystal Palace meet on the final day of the Championship season on Sunday, with the Owls needing to win to stay up and send Palace down instead.

I take a look at that relegation showdown at Hillsborough and consider the ramifications of dropping down into League One for both teams.

I also examine Leicester and Blackpool's play-off prospects at the other end of the table, reflect on a difficult season for Derby and give my thoughts on how the battle for promotion from League One will turn out.

If you have a question for me, you can submit it through Twitter at http://twitter.com/AskClaridge or use the form on the top right of the page.

Impending doom and despair, mixed with a Sheffield Wednesday side that has the ability to make me smile in disbelief, are not the ingredients required to give me grounds for hope or optimism ahead of the big clash between my beloved Wednesday and Crystal Palace on Sunday. Living so far away in Nepal makes it more painful! Who do you think will stay in the Championship?
Steve Kempton, Nepal

This is probably the best way to sort it out. Palace don't deserve to go down and I do not think many people will want to see a club like Sheffield Wednesday back in League One either.

It was almost inevitable it would end up like this too. Five or six weeks ago everyone was looking at the fixtures and saying "you know what's going to happen" and it has.

It is a difficult one to call because Palace only need a draw but you have to slightly favour the home side in a situation like this; if only because they will have 30,000-plus fans cheering them on and creating a terrific atmosphere.

Palace boss Paul Hart needs a draw at Wednesday to keep his side up

It might be a nervy old afternoon but my take on these sort of situations is that if you do not want to play in matches like this, then you should not be a footballer. These are the games you should want to be involved in.

If they do go down, Wednesday will be in a better position to recover than Palace. They are in the middle of a takeover that will go through even if they go down.

But they will know only too well from the last time they were in the third tier between 2003 and 2005 that there will be a certain amount of pressure on them as one of the bigger clubs in League One and, with the likes of Southampton and possibly Leeds and Charlton still there next season, promotion will not be a given.

For Palace, it has been a downward spiral since they went into administration. Paul Hart has come in and not had a great time, winning only three out of 13 matches, but it was always going to be a difficult job when the stuffing had been knocked out of the club and the players like it had been.

There has been plenty of talk about potential takeovers but while they remain in administration they know they are going to lose a lot of players over the summer, whether they stay up or not.

Here in Colorado, your mate that you mentioned last week, Steve Guppy, is doing very well with us as manager of the Rapids. He has them playing workmanlike football and has got a winning run going. But I am a Leicester City fan. I listen to their games live and, with them getting into the Championship play-offs, I'm wondering what is your take on manager Nigel Pearson staying?
Tony Greaves, USA

Hi Steve, what do you think of Leicester City? Do you think they will make it to the Premier League this season?
Jason Stone, England

Can Leicester go up? I'm not sure but they have given themselves every chance and if they do, the whole question of Nigel Pearson leaving should be settled because they would go up and have a real go.

The club is set up for the Premier League off the pitch and the structure is in place from their previous time in the top flight between 1996 to 2002 and the 2003/04 season.

But if they do not win the Championship play-offs they will have to improve their squad to emulate what they have done this year - and I think Pearson knows it.

He has done a fantastic job but I get the feeling he has squeezed as much out of his players as he can and it is not a certainty that he will be able to push on without reinforcements.

I think he will get what he wants. Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric can be a bit unpredictable at times but he obviously likes Pearson, which is a huge factor, and he can provide funds too.

Hi Steve, as a Derby County supporter, it has in some ways been another disappointing season and I think a lot of that dates back to the injury crisis the club had around October and November, which possibly cost us a top-half place at least. My question is, if the Rams add a few players in the summer (like Gary Hooper from Scunthorpe, who has been mentioned) and we don't have the same level of injury problems next season, do you think the Rams will be promotion candidates in the Championship next season?
Nick UK

Things have not got a lot better for Derby since that injury crisis, have they?

Yes, they had 14 players out but only four or five of those were first-choice. Let's be honest, there has not been any discernible change in their fortunes over the last few months when those players have returned to fitness.

When you look at the number of players who have left the club, this was always going to be a transitional season but they will have to improve markedly next term.

I would put manager Nigel Clough in the same boat as Ipswich boss Roy Keane, in that they are both managers who need to have much better seasons next time out - and that includes making decent starts too.

I like what Clough says in interviews and I do not think he tries to kid anyone about where his team is at. He also did a fantastic job at Burton.

I do not think the job is too big for him but it has been very, very difficult for him so far. Yes, there are mitigating circumstances but he still needs to do far better and he will know it too.

He has been there 18 months now and has got rid of the majority of players he wanted to get rid of. This is a big summer for him because the three or four players he will bring in could make all the difference.

Hello Steve, I'm a big Blackpool fan and, after Saturday's win at Peterborough, my play-off hopes have just grown! Do you think we can stay in the top six in the Championship with one game left and do you think we can go up?
Aidan Anderson, England

Peterborough 0-1 Blackpool

In answer to Aidan's two questions, I would have to say yes and yes.

Blackpool have won six of their last seven games and only need one more victory, in their final game at home to Bristol City, to get in the play-offs. Bloomfield Road is a sell-out already and the place will be rocking.

What is behind their success? Well, they have got goals in their team and they have a fantastic manager. There is a real feel-good factor about the club and you feel they deserve their chance because of the way they have applied themselves against the odds, on top of their entertainment value and their style of play.

I would not write Bristol City off and Swansea only need to win and see Blackpool draw to pip them to a place in the top six, so it is definitely not a done deal.

But no-one would begrudge Blackpool their opportunity if they do make it. Of all the teams in the Championship play-off frame, they are the team I least expected to be there. When you look at what their budget probably is, their brief was probably just to stay up, so they have had a fantastic season whatever happens now.

It will be sad for Swansea if they lose out because they have been in the box seat for going on for three months but one thing has cost them and that is a lack of goals. Their top scorer in the league is Darren Pratley, with only seven so far.

With things so tight at the top of League One, who will get that vital second automatic promotion place behind Norwich?
conbyrne on Twitter

Some of the top teams such as Millwall, Leeds, Charlton, Huddersfield and Swindon have had their ups and downs this season in League One, how do you think these teams, as well as Norwich, would cope in the Championship if they went up?
Sam, England

Who will finish second? I have no idea! I have looked at the table and the remaining fixtures and I just do not know.

It is Millwall versus Tranmere on Saturday and Charlton host Leeds. I am not sure where I would prefer to be going because Charlton look done - they are in the play-offs now - while Tranmere are fighting for their lives and have had some decent results at home.

Leeds are in the driving seat. I am not convinced they will win both their games but I can still see them going up because they could draw one and win one and that might still be enough.

How would those teams do in the Championship? Well, Leeds would be fine. You would think they would spend a fortune, and I still don't understand why they have not already; they might be regretting not pushing the boat out in January now.

Swindon and Millwall have both got some money behind them too. Millwall lost £5.5m last year, which is staggering for a League One side, but shows the backing they have got.

Huddersfield have got a good young manager in Lee Clark, while Charlton are a well-supported side and everything is in place off the pitch because they were in the top flight not so long ago.

Clark has impressed in his first full season as Huddersfield manager

The same goes for Norwich too; they might have to strengthen their squad but they have got massive support.

None of them should go straight back down or struggle and, while they might not appear to be contenders to get back-to-back promotions, you should bear in mind that the Championship will be wide open next year.

There will be no teams of the calibre of Newcastle or West Brom because of the teams relegated - or all but relegated - from the Premier League, Portsmouth and Hull will be restricted financially and nobody is going to be scared of Burnley.

So next season will be a good season to be in the Championship and there will be a huge amount of teams thinking they have got a chance of promotion.

Steve Claridge is a BBC Football League pundit who played more than 800 matches for 15 clubs over the course of a 24-year playing career. He was talking to Chris Bevan.

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