I scored 164 goals for Leeds United and Sheffield United - this is how the promotion race with Burnley will go
Leeds United are well-placed to pip their Championship rivals to promotion.
Former Leeds United striker Brian Deane believes recent comeback wins over Sunderland and Sheffield United have all but secured Championship promotion.
Leeds took two massive leaps towards their Premier League return in recent weeks, with victories over two of their direct promotion rivals opening up a seven-point gap on third place. Points are all that matters come May but the nature of both wins will have Daniel Farke’s side flying, with late winners coming against Sunderland and Sheffield United.
Substitute Pascal Struijk’s double downed the Black Cats a week-and-a-half ago before late goals from Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe on Monday saw three points taken from Bramall Lane, with Leeds 1-0 down for long periods in both games. Farke and his players will insist there is still a long way to go but Deane, who scored 45 goals across two spells in West Yorkshire, insists the gap is too big to disappear.
Deane’s Leeds promotion verdict
"I think Leeds is probably a given now,” Deane told Football League World. “What they’ve done in the games beating Sheffield United and Sunderland last week has broken the back. They just have to match other teams now, and they have too many games and teams will have to win too many games and Leeds lose too many games now.”
With Leeds pulling clear and showing little sign of slowing down, many believe the promotion race is now between two teams fighting for one place. Sunderland followed up their defeat at Elland Road with a 1-0 loss at home to Hull City, leaving them eight points short of automatic promotion and struggling.
Sheffield United still occupy the all-important second spot, with just two points between them and Burnley in third with the pair still to meet at Turf Moor for the third-last game. And somewhat unsurprisingly, Deane has backed another of his former clubs to do the business.
"I think Sheffield United aren’t a shoo-in but they’ve got enough to win enough games to go up now,” the former Leeds and Blades striker added. “Their form has been a bit patchy of late, but I still believe that they’ll have enough to go up, but it won’t be straightforward and will have to do something about their consistency. It will be close between Burnley and Sheffield United, but I just fancy United to nick it."
Leeds won’t be making the mistake of thinking promotion is secure, with 36 points still to play for between now and May. They don’t have to face any of their direct top-two rivals but there are still some potentially tricky games on the horizon, starting with the visit of fifth-placed West Brom to Elland Road on Saturday.
Following that, Farke’s side face Portsmouth at Fratton Park, where they have lost just once since October. A trip to the Riverside to face Middlesbrough will be no easy task either, with eighth-placed Bristol City their highest-ranking opponents after this weekend.