The Whites are well on course for a play-off place, but will they keep hold of it?
Leeds United’s Robert Green (L) and Leeds United’s Pontus Jansson celebrate after the match
The international break has been pretty stress-free for Leeds United fans, with their team safely in the play-offs and with no-one to dispute that for another week yet.
Garry Monk’s side have been outstanding this campaign, and with just eight remaining fixtures, they should finish in the top six. Here’s a prediction for their final few Championship matches.
1/4/17 – Reading (A)
Reading were incredibly fortunate to leave Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough with all three points following a 2-0 win, with goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi singlehandedly preventing a heavy defeat. Lightning won’t strike twice for the Royals, especially against a side spearheaded by Chris Wood, who – in the form he’s in – will find the net given the same level of defending Reading showed against the Owls. Prediction: Reading 0-2 Leeds United
4/4/17 – Brentford (A)
A hugely tough one to call, and no-one really wants to be playing Brentford in the Championship at this moment in time. The Bees are remarkably inconsistent, yet with players like Jota in their ranks, pose a significant threat going forwards. Dean Smith’s side seem to relish playing the bigger teams, and this will be a difficult trip for Leeds. Prediction: Brentford 2-1 Leeds United
Leeds United’s Liam Bridcutt in action with Preston’s Callum Robinson
8/4/2017 – Preston North End (H)
Preston boss Simon Grayson will return to his former club again very soon, yet despite Preston’s excellent season – which has seen them harbour play-off ambitions of their own – it’s difficult to see how they’ll get anything out of their trip to Elland Road, especially if their recent trip to play-off hopefuls Fulham – which Preston lost 3-1 – is anything to go by. Prediction: Leeds United 3-0 Preston North End
14/4/17 – Newcastle United (A)
Not exactly the fixture you want when you’re looking to solidify a play-off spot, but all the same, Leeds will face a tricky trip to the North East when they take on a table topping Newcastle side looking to sew up automatic promotion by this point. It definitely won’t be easy for the Magpies, but it’s hard to see any other outcome. Prediction: Newcastle United 1-0 Leeds United
Wolves’ Jordan Graham in action with Leeds United’s Lewis Cook (2015/16 season)
17/4/17 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
Just prior to the international break, a proverbial switch was flicked and Wolves suddenly decided that they were in danger of going down and had better start winning matches. After winning all three of their fixtures before the break, Wolves are a side in form and could pose problems for Leeds. However, Elland Road is a hugely difficult place to go to in order to get a result, and Leeds should win this. Prediction: Leeds United 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
22/4/17 – Burton Albion (A)
At this stage of the season, playing teams near the bottom can be just as hard – if not harder – than facing the teams at the top, as they have so much more to lose and tend to turn the form book on its head. While this is a possible banana skin for Leeds, they should come through this unscathed – even despite Burton’s recent ability to score frequently. Prediction: Burton Albion 2-2 Leeds United
Norwich’s Wes Hoolahan in action with Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips and Charlie Taylor
29/4/17 – Norwich City (H)
Going by these predictions, by the time Leeds’ last home game comes around, they’d have gained 10 points – taking their overall tally to 79, which should be more than enough for a play-off spot. With an Elland Road crowd in party mood, you can see Leeds turning on the style here against a Norwich side who desperately need the summer to come so they can formulate a plan to challenge at the top again. Prediction: Leeds United 3-0 Norwich City
7/5/2017 – Wigan Athletic (A)
This could well be a dead rubber of a match, with a strong chance that both Wigan’s and Leeds’ fate would already secured – albeit at opposite ends of the table, with Wigan currently seven points adrift of safety. However, a lot depends on Monk’s selections – does he rest players ahead of the play-offs, or does he stick with his best team? In any case, it’s hard to look past a Leeds victory. Prediction: Wigan Athletic 1-2 Leeds United
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