Leeds United sit at the summit of the Championship standings and will have to defend their position when they take on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday night. The Whites are flying high at the moment but Sheffield United have kept pace and are just two points behind them. They have an opportunity to go top of the league table if they beat Leeds at home next week. Daniel Farke’s men are going into the game with some confidence following their win over Sunderland and they would be happy to leave Bramall Lane with a point in their bag. The already fiery game has been made a bit more tasty by the referee the EFL have appointed for the fixture.
Promotion talk has been ramping up around Leeds United despite Farke trying hard to maintain his side’s focus and keep them grounded for the rest of the season.
However, even the Leeds boss has more or less acknowledged that automatic promotion is in sight by admitting that 20 more points from their remaining 13 games should get the job done.
Sheffield United and Chris Wilder would love to complicate matters for Leeds by taking all three points on Monday night and they are coming into the game on the back of some good form.
Leeds’ current form means they would back themselves to get what they want from the game and leave Bramall Lane with a smile on their faces on Monday night.
The appointment of a lenient referee has added more drama to an already tasty fixture.
Leeds United would enjoy the officiating at Bramall Lane
David Webb has been appointed to take charge of the game at Bramall Lane and Leeds would love to play their game under his watch on Monday night.
Webb is one of the most common second-tier appointments and already has 20 Championship games under his belt this season, which shows his experience.
He has the nous to handle a big game like this and more importantly, he is the kind of referee that lets the game flow rather than impede it.
Webb is perceived as one of the more lenient referees in the Championship and averages 20.85 fouls per game, which is the third-lowest among officials with ten or more matches this campaign.
A tally of 2.75 yellow cards per 90 minutes is further evidence that he is prepared to let things slide without trying to complicate a game by producing too many cards.
Leeds and Sheffield are expected to be a fiery encounter and a referee of Webb’s temperament would come in handy as you would not want the fixture to get spoiled by a trigger-happy official.
How is this advantage for Leeds?
While Webb’s leniency is good news for both sides, it could be more beneficial for Leeds because of the way the game is expected to play.
Leeds are expected to dominate the ball with Sheffield United likely to sit back, soak up the pressure and try to hit the Whites on the counter despite playing at home.
The away side’s pressing game will be aided by a referee who is more lenient as Leeds are expected to commit more tactical fouls to stop Sheffield United from breaking on them at pace.
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An official who would be happy to let things slide rather than produce a yellow card early in the game should favour the Leeds defensive midfielders and defenders.
Leeds would not want one of their enforces to go in the book early and walk on eggshells for the rest of the match with the threat of getting dismissed at some point.
The Whites would still need to play well to get something from Bramall Lane but having Webb on the pitch would aid the way they want to play football.
