Leeds United have two huge games coming up, against two of their closest promotion rivals in Sunderland and Sheffield United.
Right now, the going is good for Leeds United. They’ve won their last three and they’ve not conceded in six, sitting two points ahead of Sheffield United in 2nd and five ahead of Burnley in 3rd.
But in a couple of weeks, the Championship promotion picture could look vastly different. Leeds United welcome Sunderland to Elland Road on Monday before travelling to Bramall Lane to play Sheffield United the following Monday.
Daniel Farke’s side hammered Watford 4-0 in their last outing and take a lot of moment into the next stretch of fixtures, with six games now standing between Leeds and the next international break.
Meanwhile, there’s just 14 games of the season remaining. There’s still 42 points to play for and so the race for promotion isn’t over by a long shot. But it could certainly be won or lost for Leeds in the next two games.
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Chris Wilder shares early verdict on Sheffield United vs Leeds United
Chris Wilder has certainly been vocal about the race for promotion this season, and about Leeds United. At the end of January, Wilder said he doesn’t see anyone easing up in the Championship title race which has certainly been the case at Leeds.
On Wednesday night, the Blades picked up a vital three points after beating Middlesbrough 3-1 at Bramall Lane. Next up for Wilder’s side is a trip to Luton Town, but the experienced Championship boss is already looking at the Leeds game.
After the win over Boro, he told the press: “Listen, it’s three points. It’s not going to make or break our season. There would be an advantage of course, but there will be an advantage (for Leeds) if we don’t get a result at Luton.
“I’m too old and experienced to take my eye off the ball. That game will take care of itself. We’ve got to fully tune into Saturday. It’s still an incredibly difficult place to go and get a result.
“The Leeds United game will take care of itself. It won’t define our season. We have to make sure we’re bang at it in the next couple of days and come away with a positive result on Saturday.”
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Chris Wilder’s Leeds United mind games in the race for promotion
Even before the season started, Leeds and Sheffield United were outed by many as the two main candidates in the race for promotion. So far, that’s definitely been the case, though Burnley and Sunderland are right in the mix too.
Wilder has been commenting on the promotion picture throughout the campaign, even dabbling in certain mind games with Leeds United.
Speaking in December, Wilder indirectly hailed Leeds United after saying his Sheffield United side were ‘nowhere near’ the levels of certain other title challengers.
He said: “We’re nowhere near the teams nailed on to go straight back up. Have to work for everything. If we have a positive January and give these players a bit of help, we’ll produce better performances than this.”
The game at Bramall Lane will certainly be a blockbuster. But both teams have vital games before then, and getting results in these prior matches will be crucial for both Leeds and Sheffield United ahead of their title showdown on February 24th.
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