Huge blow for Leeds United's Championship title rivals as 12-goal Burnley striker's season over
Leeds United and Burnley will fight it out for the Championship title this weekend.
Scott Parker will be left with a massive selection headache going into Burnley’s title-deciding weekend with 12-goal striker Zian Flemming unavailable.
Burnley will likely need to beat play-off chasing Millwall to stand a chance of pipping Leeds United to the Championship title, with the latter currently top on goal difference and due at second-bottom Plymouth Argyle on Saturday. Daniel Farke’s side have been in rampant form over the past couple of weeks, with automatic promotion confirmed between wins over Stoke and Bristol City with an aggregate score of 10-0.
Scott Parker’s Clarets also enjoyed a glut of goals as they beat Queens Park Rangers 5-0 last weekend, with Flemming twice on target to take his season total to 12. But the in-form striker won’t be improving on that tally, with Saturday’s trip to Loftus Road his final appearance of the campaign.
Burnley signed Flemming on loan from Millwall last summer and while an obligation to buy was triggered following promotion, his loan switch won’t be officially made permanent until the summer, meaning he is unable to face his parent club this weekend. And that will present a pretty big issue for Parker going into this all-important game.
Back-up striker Lyle Foster is also a major doubt for Saturday due to a shoulder injury which has kept him out for almost a month, with free agent arrival Ashley Barnes the only other option. Since returning to Turf Moor from Norwich City in January, the 35-year-old’s 12 league appearances have totalled just 56 minutes.
Leeds United and Burnley set for final-day title race
Burnley will need to be right at it this weekend too, with Millwall fighting for a play-off place going into the final day. Alex Neil’s side have climbed into seventh following a run of five wins in six, with only one point separating them from Coventry City in sixth. The Lions are also the last team to beat Parker’s side, winning 1-0 at the Den in November.
Millwall are one of five teams fighting for the two play-off spots below Sheffield United and Sunderland, with fifth and sixth currently occupied by Bristol City and Coventry respectively. Below them, the Lions, Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough all have a shot at climbing into the top-six, with the latter due at Frank Lampard’s Coventry while Rovers face Sheffield United.
Leeds need only to match the Clarets’ result against Millwall this weekend, albeit a trip to relegated Plymouth might not be as easy as many expect. The Pilgrims actually boast an impressive home record against current top-10 sides, having beaten six of the nine apart from Leeds while only losing to Burnley.
Thousands of Whites fans are expected to make the journey down to Plymouth for what they hope will be a coronation, with thousands more expected in Leeds city centre both on Saturday and for the promotion parade. The club confirmed earlier this week an open-top bus will loop through the city on bank holiday Monday, starting at 1pm.
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