Leeds United sit at the summit of the Championship table and seem to be shifting gears in the promotion race at this stage of the season. They despatched an in-form Coventry City side on Wednesday night with a comfortable 2-0 win and have a five-point lead at the top. The three points also ensured that neither Sheffield United nor Burnley will topple them at the top of the league table this weekend when Leeds will be in FA Cup action. The cup is still an afterthought and automatic promotion remains the focus at Elland Road. However, Leeds are two wins away from an FA Cup quarter-final berth and the fans have not experienced a deep cup run in years. The Whites have a decent chance of giving that joy to the supporters without taking their focus away from the league.
The Yorkshire giants are now firm favourites to finish in the top two and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season.
Leeds United seem to have gone up another level in the last couple of weeks and while their rivals have dropped points, the Whites have continued to churn out positive results.
Some of their more important players seem to be getting back to form and their defence has tightened up even further with the team not conceding a single goal in the last five Championship games.
Leeds will take on Championship rivals Millwall in the fourth round of the FA Cup, safe in the knowledge that they won’t get toppled by either Burnley or Sheffield United who will be in Championship action.
Getting promoted is the focus but Leeds now have a real chance to deliver a cup run to the supporters in the coming months.
The Leeds United squad players need to step up
Daniel Farke will make changes to his squad but Millwall are not going to be any pushovers and expect the Leeds boss to maintain some consistency in selection.
The Leeds manager will hope to rest some of his overworked stars and give some squad players a chance to impress against a solid Championship side.
A cup run is dependent on some of the squad players stepping up to the plate and producing a performance that will take Leeds to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The good news for Leeds is that some of those players have looked good in the recent games and should be itching to get an opportunity in the starting eleven.
Wilfried Gnonto broke his scoring duck last weekend against Cardiff City, Mateo Joseph scored only his second goal of the season and Largie Ramazani has impressed in a couple of cameos.
Joe Rothwell is likely to play in the middle of the park on Saturday and will be tasked with lending experience and control to the midfield.
Leeds should have enough quality on the pitch to beat Millwall and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup this weekend.
Millwall are tough on paper but so were Cardiff and Coventry
The Lions sit 14th in the Premier League but are very much in the playoff conversation as only four points separate them from the top six at this stage of the season.
Millwall are also coming into the game on the back of three wins in a row in the Championship and are unbeaten in four in the league so they are no Harrowgate Town that Leeds narrowly beat in the previous round.
However, we heard the same stories around Cardiff and Coventry in Leeds’ last two league games and the Whites despatched the two sides with ease and style.
Leeds are at home on Saturday and their form at Elland Road should give them confidence that any team they field will be good enough for Millwall despite losing at the Den earlier in the season.
The Lions are also expected to make some changes to their eleven given they are gunning for a playoff spot and will look to rest a few big players in the cup.
Given how confident Leeds are feeling at the moment, they should be beating Millwall at home and booking their place in the last 32 of the FA Cup this weekend.
