Leeds United are on course for promotion to the Premier League this season given the way the Championship campaign has been shaping up. They are on 41 points in 20 games and will match or even better their 90-point haul from last season if they maintain their current levels and they are looking to pave their way back to the Premier League on the back of some terrific home form.
Middlesbrough are a tricky side and are expected to be in contention for the playoff spots this season. However, Leeds managed to see off their threat at Elland Road this week with a 3-1 win.
Their performance had defensive discipline and the ruthless streak Leeds have developed at home this season, which has helped them look imperious at Elland Road since the start of the campaign.
When the club were in the Championship doldrums in the previous decade, Leeds legend Eddie Gray was often derided for constantly repeating that promotion campaigns are built on solid home form but the former winger was right.
Leeds have been patchy on the road this season but their home form has ensured that they are comfortably placed in the league table ahead of a busy period of the campaign.
Fort Elland Road to help Leeds United march to the Premier League
Leeds’ away form came under the scanner less than two weeks back when they lost 1-0 at Blackburn Rovers. They have struggled to get back in games on the road after conceding the first goal and those problems were highlighted.
It is a cause of concern ahead of Leeds’ trip to Preston but it is their home form that should really encourage the fans as they look to win promotion back to the Premier League.
Leeds have won nine of their eleven Championship games at Elland Road this season and have the best home record in the division, scoring 25 times and conceding just six goals in the process.
Their home record has helped them to overcome their patchy away record and ensured they sit second in the Championship table.
Leeds would want to improve on the record of just three wins from nine league games on the road and three points at Preston would be a nice way to start fixing that issue.
However, they have turned Elland Road into a fort and consistency at home will go a long way in ensuring that Leeds return to the Premier League this season.
Leeds’ promotion campaign in the 2019/20 season was built on a solid home record. They won 15 of their 23 games at Elland Road, drawing five and losing just three in the process.
However, Leeds were also strong away from home with a record 13 wins in 23. Daniel Farke has to find a way to get his team to do better on the road.
But for now, a brilliant home form is working for Leeds as they chase the holy grail of Premier League promotion this season.
Home form important for any promotion campaign
Most promotion campaigns are built on solid home form and looking back at teams who reached the Premier League in recent years, it is clear to see home comforts are almost a necessity.
Leicester City, who finished top in the Championship last season, won 17 of their 23 home games and second-place Ipswich won 16 of their home games while losing just once at Portman Road in the 2023/24 campaign.
Burnley and Sheffield United, the top two from the 2022/23 season, won 16 of their home games each while the Clarets lost just once all year at Turf Moor.
Recent history suggests that home form is vital if a team want to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League from the Championship. However, Leeds United will need to get better on the road soon to avoid things getting tighter towards the end of the campaign.
Ipswich and Leeds won 14 and 12 games respectively on the road last season. A record of three wins in nine league games away from home is a poor record for Leeds at the moment.
However, Leeds would want to keep their home record going while ensuring that they do better on the road for the rest of the season.
