The promotion chase in the Championship is shaping up to be extremely tight as Leeds, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough are all within touching distance after 15 matches this season.
While there is still a long way to go before the end of the campaign, Leeds’ next three fixtures will be vital for a number of reasons and could provide a huge impact on the club’s ambitions under Marcelo Bielsa this season.
Leeds travel to face Wigan this weekend and see that trip followed by a visit to West Brom, before hosting Bristol City at Elland Road – and the latter two are the biggest fixtures of all.
After just two wins in the last six matches, Leeds need to defeat Wigan to provide a platform to build upon and positive results against Bristol City and West Brom are also vital – as defeats could propel their rivals into the title chase.
West Brom could leapfrog Leeds in the table with a victory next weekend, while Bristol could pull to within two points of the Peacocks if results go their way over the course of the coming weeks – and Leeds cannot afford to have any more rivals at the top.
With just five points separating second-place Leeds from 12th-placed Blackburn as it stands, dropping points could prove to be disastrous as it is time for Bielsa’s side to rekindle the form they enjoyed at the beginning of the campaign.