Leeds United are riding high after a 4-1 demolition of Newcastle United at Elland Road on Monday night, which was a statement to the rest of the Premier League.
The Whites sit third in the Premier League table after winning two and drawing two of their opening four games and look like one of the toughest teams to beat in the top flight.
Former Leeds goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has urged the Whites to push for a European spot this season, and Simon Jordan conceded it wouldn’t be a surprise if they qualify for Europe.
It is too early to predict the final Premier League table, but Opta’s analytics have already predicted where Leeds could finish.
Leeds predicted to finish top seven this season
Opta’s Supercomputer has analysed all Premier League games and each team’s performance in the first four rounds to predict the Premier League table.
Arsenal and Manchester City have been predicted to be the top two, while Liverpool, Chelsea and Brighton are set to make up the rest of the top 5.
For now, Opta predicts Leeds will finish seventh in the Premier League table and could qualify for the Europa Conference League this season.
Daniel Farke has downplayed the prospect of qualifying for Europe and stressed the importance of Leeds consolidating themselves as a Premier League team first.
But their early-season performances have raised expectations, and fans expect the team to push on for the rest of the season.
However, the Leeds manager must now find a way to manage these expectations, as he knows his squad will face challenges over the campaign.
Is Europe too big an expectation for Leeds?
It is far too early to draw any major conclusions from the Premier League table after just four games, but Leeds could hardly have asked for a better start. They sit third and have already given supporters plenty of reason to be optimistic.
Daniel Farke has been quick to play down any talk of European football being a realistic objective this season. Yet, given what Leeds have shown during the opening weeks, it is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss the idea altogether.
There will inevitably be bumps along the way, with injuries and suspensions likely to test the squad at different stages of the campaign. However, Leeds should benefit from a relatively light fixture schedule for much of the season. That could prove important, allowing Farke’s players more time to recover between games and potentially helping them sustain the defensive solidity they have shown so far.
There is still a huge amount of football to be played, but after such an encouraging opening, Leeds supporters can certainly afford to start wondering whether a European adventure could be on the horizon.
