Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have made it clear where they expect Leeds United to finish in the Premier League this season.
Leeds sit seventh in the Premier League table and have lost only once in their first seven league games. They face an out-of-form Sunderland side on Sunday.
Daniel Farke has tried to temper expectations at Leeds this season and recently conceded that his squad still lacks the individual quality to compete with and beat the top teams.
However, palpable excitement remains around Leeds, and they are being backed to do more than improve on their 14th-place finish from last season.
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Lineker and Richards make their Leeds prediction
On this week’s Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker and Richards discussed where Leeds could finish in the Premier League table after a solid start to the season.
Richards believes a top ten finish is more than a realistic target, as some of the games they drew this season, Leeds should have won them. Lineker agreed with the former defender’s assessment.
However, the former Manchester City man feels Leeds need another player to share some of Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goalscoring burden.
“How high can they finish? I think top 10”, Richards said.
Lineker admitted: “Yeah, just around midtable.
Richards added: “It’d be a realistic target for Leeds because I think in games, though, as well, some of the games that they’ve drawn, they could have got over the line.
“And I think Calvert-Lewin needs someone else to help him with the goals as well.”
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Top ten is more than realistic for Leeds
A top-ten finish might sound ambitious for Leeds United, but it is far from an unrealistic target this season. Daniel Farke’s side have shown enough quality and resilience to suggest they can compete with established Premier League clubs, particularly if they maintain their consistency over the coming months.
Leeds have a passionate home support, a squad with valuable top-flight experience and players capable of making a difference at both ends of the pitch. Their challenge now is to turn encouraging performances into regular wins, especially against teams around them in the table.
There is also an opportunity to capitalise on the instability affecting some bigger clubs. Managerial uncertainty, inconsistent form and potential disruption elsewhere could open the door for Leeds to climb higher than expected.
A top-ten finish will require fewer costly mistakes and greater ruthlessness in front of goal. But Leeds do not need a miracle. If Farke gets the best out of his squad and Elland Road remains a difficult place to visit, finishing in the top half is a target worth pursuing.
