Leeds United are again locked in an enthralling race for Premier League promotion. However, one pundit is handing the Whites a promotional boost with his recent take on whether he sees them securing an automatic promotion.
The Whites may have made unwanted history last year by being one of the best Championship teams to miss out on automatic promotion. To make matters worse, they reached the play-off final at Wembley but lost 1-0 to Southampton, failing to break down the Saints despite going into the match as the favorites.
Sunderland and Burnley have become Leeds United’s primary rivals for promotion back to the Premier League. A 0-0 draw against Bristol City at Ashton Gate marked another setback, leaving the Yorkshire side five points behind the leaders, Sunderland. Fortunately, Burnley also had a disappointing result, so Leeds remains level on points with them in second place.
Can Leeds United secure automatic promotion to the Premier League?
Leeds United have been inconsistent this season, but Ian Darke believes they will secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
In an interview with MOT Leeds News, the TNT Sports commentator expressed disappointment with the team’s lackluster attacking display in their recent match against Bristol City on October 26, which frustrated some fans. However, he feels the squad has the strength to achieve their promotion goal.
“I don’t think it’s a major cause for concern as much as just one of those days for Leeds United,” Darke said. “In the Championship, it’s hard to sustain form for 46 games – especially when you’ve got three games in a week, and rotation is required.
“Leeds do tend to blow a little hot and cold when most people did consider them the outright favourites. But I’m a believer that over the 46 games, they’ve got enough quality for automatic promotion.”
If the race ends up being as tight as it is right now, every result from each matchday will be crucial. Dropping points against opponents they should defeat could prove costly, so Leeds will need to take advantage of fixtures as the ones they have on Saturday when facing a bottom-of-the-table Plymouth Argyle.
