The race for Premier League football is hotting up nicely and Leeds United are back in the top two of the Championship, but for how much longer?
Football Web Pages’ latest simulated table following Derby’s win against Wigan makes for grim reading for any Whites fan, as they now expect Marcelo Bielsa’s men to drop down into the Play-Off places at the benefit of Sheffield United by a single point.
We currently hold a two-point lead over the Bramall Lane natives after they failed to make their goal difference count in the Steel City Derby and we dismantled West Bromwich Albion last Friday.
A home win on March 16 against the Blades will also go a long way in securing a Premier League birth for our centenary season, and Football Web Pages even expect a home 1-0 win.
They do, however, expect us to drop points this weekend against Bristol City and return to West Yorkshire with just a point to show for our efforts. We are also predicted to draw one-all against Reading, Birmingham City, and Ipswich Town, while failing to take anything from Preston North End or Brentford.
Altogether, the ties signal a potential 12 points gone amiss, and all come away from home, where Leeds have actually been very strong so far – the Whites have won eight of 17 trips taken to date, which is only bettered by WBA and Norwich.
Proving to the supercomputer that we can continue in this vein would go a long way in securing Premier League football for next season, and the most likely place to avoid an upset would be at Reading, who have only won six times at home this term and held another nine sides to draws.
Bielsa could also look to the Ipswich match as a great chance to better the predictions, as the Portman Road outfit have won just twice at home this term, but should be wary that they have drawn 14 ties, as well.
Either match would do the trick for Premier League football, though, and avoid our season ending with a heartbreaking acceptance that the Play-Offs is how we will have to earn promotion.