Leeds United sit 15th in the Premier League, but are only three points clear of the relegation zone. The race has got a lot tighter in the last couple of weeks.
Back-to-back home defeats against Manchester City and Sunderland, respectively, have turned a seemingly comfortable position into a nervous race with nine games left in the season.
West Ham’s improved run of form has significantly reduced the gap between Leeds and the relegation zone, leaving very little margin for error at this stage of the season.
Leeds need a result at Selhurst Park on Sunday to calm the nerves, but predictions ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace are not very encouraging at the moment.
Supercomputer tips Leeds United to be the underdogs
Leeds played well in their last two games and were desperately lucky to lose both games, thanks to questionable refereeing calls at Elland Road.
However, two home defeats mean Leeds are under pressure to get something against Crystal Palace away from home, and the Eagles seem to be hitting form at the right time.
They beat Tottenham 3-1 away from home last weekend, which more or less sealed the deal for him when it comes to securing Premier League football for one more season.
It would take a catastrophic set of events from here on for Palace to drop into the bottom three of the table by the end of the season.
Opta’s Supercomputer has predicted a more than 52 per cent chance of a home win for Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Leeds have only been handed a 23 per cent chance of winning on the road against the Eagles next weekend.
Another defeat at Palace and good results for Nottingham Forest and Tottenham would put Leeds on the brink of dropping into the relegation zone.
Europe could save the Whites this weekend
Leeds have suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time since November, although they were unfortunate to come away empty-handed from games against Manchester City and Sunderland.
The Whites have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, but their focus is now on the Premier League trip to London, where they face Crystal Palace this weekend.
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |  Leeds United |
29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 31 |
| 16 |  Tottenham Hotspur |
29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 39 | 46 | -7 | 29 |
| 17 |  Nottingham Forest |
29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 28 |
| 18 |  West Ham United |
29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 28 |
| 19 |  Burnley |
29 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 19 |
| 20 |  Wolverhampton Wanderers |
30 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 52 | -30 | 16 |
Leeds will be hoping to respond with a positive result at Selhurst Park, and they may receive a boost with Palace potentially rotating their squad for the match.
The fixture against Leeds falls between the two legs of Crystal Palace’s Europa Conference League tie against AEK Larnaca.
Oliver Glasner’s side are among the favourites to win the competition, and with their Premier League status largely secure, they have the freedom to prioritise Europe.
Glasner has not rotated heavily this season, but he may choose to rest some key players ahead of the round-of-16 clash with Larnaca.
