Leeds United midfielder Ethan Ampadu is confident that his side still have enough time to catch the teams occupying the Championship’s automatic promotion spots – Ipswich Town and Leicester City – despite the considerable points gap between them.
Ampadu’s comments come ahead of a massive clash with the Tractor Boys at Elland Road on Saturday, one which looks like a must-win – or certainly a must-not-lose – for the Whites if they are to give themselves a chance at securing promotion through the automatics this term.
Whilst Leeds’ start to the season has been impressive by past standards, with Daniel Farke’s side having won 12 out of their first 22 games – accumulating 42 points in the process, they still sit third in the league standings.
This is solely due to the incredible form of the teams above them, both of who have both broken second-tier records this season. Ipswich currently sit second with 52 points – ten ahead of Leeds – whilst Enzo Maresca’s table-topping Foxes lead the pack with an impressive points tally of 55.
Leeds have, to their credit, done all they can in securing victories over both the sides above them when they have met earlier this season, yet recent slip-ups against Sunderland and Coventry have led many amongst the Elland Road faithful to feel slightly pessimistic about their side’s automatic promotion hopes.
Saturday lunchtime sees the Whites play host to Ipswich – seeking to do the double over a side who they beat at Portman Road earlier this term. Yet there is no denying that this fixture carries greater importance for the Whites than it did back in August, as a busy Christmas period approaches and the importance of Leeds not losing ground in their automatic promotion chase increases.
With the points gap between Leeds and Saturday’s visitors being the topic of the moment in West Yorkshire, it is unsurprising that it was one of the key matters discussed with Ampadu in a recent interview with BBC Radio Leeds.
“I think we all kind of find it [shutting down all the noise] pretty simple. It is not the end of the season, I know it is very easy to say. They have got a little bit of gap, but it is not the end of the season.
“Still a lot of games, lot of minutes to be played. We have confidence in ourselves. To get that right, you have to take each game as it is, make sure the next 90 minutes is the best 90 minutes of the season.”
Leeds fans will be hoping for an early Christmas gift from their side on Saturday, with a victory against their promotion rivals reducing the gap between them to seven points.
