'Everything in Leeds United's favour' with huge promotion advantage over Sheffield United & Burnley
Leeds United have eight games to hold their nerve and win Championship promotion.
Don Goodman still believes Leeds United hold a significant advantage over their Championship promotion rivals due to an easier eight-game fixture run on paper.
The strength of Leeds’ position in the promotion picture has lessened in recent weeks following a run of one win in four, with Saturday’s 2-2 draw at QPR allowing rivals to gain further ground. Daniel Farke’s side were tipped to pull clear after consecutive wins over Sunderland and Sheffield United but, as is so often the case in the Championship, the reality is far more difficult.
Leeds will stay top through the March international break but only goal difference separates them and second-placed Sheffield United, while Burnley are two points short in third. It leaves the top-three set to fight it out in what will essentially become an eight-game season starting next weekend, and Goodman believes a preferable run of fixtures for Farke’s side should see them through.
Goodman rates Leeds’ promotion chances
“Personally, I don’t see Leeds United slipping up,” Goodman told Football League World. “I think if you had asked me this question a little bit earlier in the season, it could possibly have been their away form, but I look at the games they have got left and six of their eight games are against sides that are 14th and below.
“With the exception of the away defeat at Portsmouth - which they probably didn’t deserve to lose - they haven’t lost a single game to any side in the bottom half of the table. So I think everything is in their favour, I think they are far and away the best team in the league still, despite losing to Portsmouth and drawing with Queens Park Rangers.
“They are going to take all the stopping. I give credit to Burnley and Sheffield United for making Leeds United sweat with eight games to go, but I still believe that they will go and win the league.”
Leeds’ fixtures compared to Sheffield United & Burnley
Next weekend’s visit of Swansea City to Elland Road kicks off a massive eight-game run for Leeds, who undoubtedly have the easier fixture schedule on paper - albeit the recent defeat at Portsmouth is evidence league position can mean little. Bristol City and Middlesbrough are the only teams outside the bottom 10 Farke’s side have to face, with the former having to come to West Yorkshire on the penultimate weekend.
In between Swansea and Bristol, Leeds welcome 20th-placed Stoke City and Preston North End in 14th to Elland Road, while trips to Luton Town, Boro, Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle should certainly yield a decent return. In contrast, Sheffield United and Burnley both have to face red-hot Coventry City in the two weeks after this international break.
Frank Lampard’s side head to Bramall Lane a week on Friday before hosting Burnley at the CBS Arena on April 5. The automatic promotion-chasing pair also face each other at Turf Moor in their third-to-last fixture, the same weekend Leeds host relegation-threatened Stoke.
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