Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton look set for an almighty battle to win automatic promotion in the next two-and-a-half-weeks.
Just a matter of days ago, it had looked like a three-horse race for those top two spots but three wins in a row for Southampton has thrust them right back into the mix.
In that time, Ipswich, Leicester and Leeds have all encountered a number of slip-ups, with just five points now separating the top four. The Foxes and Southampton both also have a game in hand against one another next Tuesday.
Leicester defender Conor Coady believes the pressure has got to all of the top three recently, with the former England international having previously predicted it would take 100 points to finish second.
Now all of a sudden, it looks as though the mid-to-early 90s could be enough, though it remains to be seen whether any of the top three can recover their form.
Murphy shares the one club he wants to see promoted from the Championship
Jobi McAnuff has been among the pundits backing Leeds to be promoted this season, but that was before Saturday’s shock first home defeat of the season against Blackburn Rovers.
It is a race that is now almost impossible to predict and you feel that Leeds will have to take a minimum of seven points to even be in with a chance now.
While the loss against Blackburn was a result no one would’ve foreseen, Troy Deeney did actually suggest last week that the pressure could be too much to handle for Leeds.
Hopefully Leeds are able to prove the likes of Deeney wrong between now and the beginning of May, and speaking on talkSPORT this morning, Danny Murphy certainly wants that to be the case.
Former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Murphy was discussing which of the four clubs he would most like to see get promoted this season.
He said: “If I was to choose one team to come up, it would be Leeds United. Fabulous club.”
Leeds, Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton run-ins compared
Both Leeds and Ipswich now have just three matches remaining this season, with Leicester and Southampton both having to play each other in their game in hand.
Leeds actually have a minor advantage over Ipswich in that they play twice, at Middlesbrough and QPR, before the Tractor Boys are back in action. Their next two matches are at Hull and Coventry City.
As mentioned, Leicester and Southampton face one another next Tuesday, but face matches with West Brom (H) and Cardiff City (A) respectively first. The former then travel to Preston North End, with the latter hosting Stoke City.
The final day sees a potentially monumental clash at Elland Road between Leeds and Southampton, while Ipswich and Leicester facing home matches against relegation battling Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers respectively.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
