Leeds United sit top of the Championship table but the gap between automatic promotion and the play-offs has been reduced to two points after Burnley beat Oxford United on Tuesday night.
Ahead of Burnley’s 1-0 win, which came thanks to another clean sheet for James Trafford and an own goal from Oxford’s January recruit from Michel Helik, the gap between first and third is now only two points.
But Leeds have the chance to extend that to five again with a clash against Frank Lampard’s Coventry on Wednesday night. However, it will be easier said than done given Coventry’s recent form under Lampard.
Five wins in a row including a penalty shootout win over Sheffield Wednesday in The FA Cup will give Coventry confidence. Also, because in the same fixture last season, Daniel Farke’s men suffered a 2-1 loss.
Carlton Palmer shares how many points Leeds need to secure promotion to the Premier League
It is in Leeds’ hands, now. The Whites remain top of the table and still two ahead of Sheffield United, thanks to The Blades’ two-point deduction at the start of the season. There are 16 games left to play.
A possible 48 points. If Leeds secure 16 wins, The Whites will finish with a record-breaking 111 given they currently have 63 after 30 games. Obviously, that won’t happen but Carlton Palmer has a prediction.
Speaking to Football League World, Palmer thinks Leeds need 30 points from their remaining 48 to win a place in the top two. That would equate to 10 wins from the next 16 games, affording six defeats.
“They need 30 points out of 48 available to get automatic promotion, he feels he has players coming back from injury and the group is strong enough to see this through, and they’re looking that way,” he said.
How many points Leeds will win if they continue at same rate
Leeds have averaged 2.1 points per game after their first 30 outings, with 63 in the bank. If they continue at their rate of 2.1 points per game in the remaining 16, Leeds will accumulate another 33.6 this season.
Rounding that up or down, Leeds will have either 96 or 97 points by the end of the season and that will be more than enough to get promoted. But, this is Leeds United and things never go so smoothly.
But Leeds are in an excellent position. This time last season, Leeds had 60 points from 30 games but were sat in third place, a massive 12 points behind leaders Leicester and still behind Ipswich, it looks positive.
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