Leeds United sit second in the Championship table at this stage of the season and are one of the strongest contenders for automatic promotion to the Premier League. The Whites missed out on it last season by a whisker after losing the playoff final against Southampton at Wembley. They were desperately unlucky to miss out on finishing in the top two and were forced to get into the playoffs, where they failed at the final hurdle.
The Whites have 41 points on board at the moment and are expected to be in the mix for automatic promotion until the end of the season, given the way the league table is shaping up.
Sheffield United, who are at the summit, and Burnley, who are just below Leeds in the table, appear to be their toughest challengers in the automatic promotion race at the moment.
Leeds are keen to ensure that they do not get complacent due to last season’s experience but it is easy to find out why the 2023/24 Championship campaign was an outlier, especially at the top of the table.
History is on Leeds’ side
The Whites became the first team since Sunderland in the 1997/98 season to not get promoted to the top flight despite scoring 90 points in the regular season.
Leeds were brilliant last season but were unlucky that Leicester City and Ipswich Town were more or less flawless and clinched automatic promotion.
However, the 2024/25 Championship campaign is shaping up to be a more normal season and if Leeds again score 90 points, they are likely to get back to the Premier League.
If recent history is anything to go by, Leeds are more or less on course to match or even better their points haul from the previous season.
Leeds are on 41 points after 20 games and are expected to match or even better the 45 points from 23 games they had on Christmas last year but were third in the table.
No team will match the 58 points and 52 points Leicester and Ipswich had on Christmas last year so it is safe to say a 90-point season from here on should clinch promotion for Leeds.
Going back two years from now, the top two teams were at a similar level as Leeds at this stage of the season. The top two – Burnley and Sheffield United – were on 44 and 41 points after 22 games respectively.
For now, it is clear to understand, that we are unlikely to see any team match Leicester or Ipswich’s points haul and Leeds just need to ensure that they hold on to their level for the rest of the season.
Daniel Farke had to face flak for Leeds failing to get promoted last season but history suggests, if it was a normal Championship campaign, Leeds would be playing Premier League football this term.
Leeds United must ensure they keep their run going at home
Leeds have won nine of their eleven home games while scoring victories in just three of their nine fixtures on the road.
They need to do better on the road and history suggests, they would need to score points away from Elland Road as well to earn automatic promotion.
However, their home form is something that they need to hold on to for the rest of the season. Historically, teams earning automatic promotion have been dominant at home, such as Leeds this season. Turning Elland Road into a fort would go a long way into getting them back to the Premier League.
Leeds will need to find a way to get more points away from home starting with their trip to Deepdale to take on Preston North End on Saturday. However, they must feel comfortable with what they are doing at Elland Road and will need to hold on to that momentum.
