Credit: Imago

Josh Edwards

Fri 1 May 2026 16:10, UK

Aston Villa fell to a 1-0 defeat in the Europa League semi-final, and it could spell bad news for Leeds United.

The Whites are back in action on Friday night when they take on Burnley, knowing that a win could potentially be enough to see them safe.

And in regard to their chances of achieving that, they have been boosted, with both Noah Okafor and Jaka Bijol looking set to make the squad despite injury concerns.

However, should they fail to take all three points, they will be right back in the relegation conversation with just three games to cement their spot in the top flight.

And after Villa’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, Leeds’ survival chances may have taken another minor hit.

Aston Villa could hand a lifeline to Tottenham

At this stage in the season, it certainly looks like the final relegation spot will either be occupied by West Ham or Tottenham, though any team up to Sunderland can still mathematically face the drop.

Leeds may feel as though they have already done enough, but they will want one or two more wins to make sure of it, while also relying on others to drop points.

However, Spurs may have a golden chance this weekend to close the gap on the Whites, with the Villa encounter sandwiched in between their two Europa League encounters with Forest.

And with the Villans 1-0 down, there is every chance that they will rotate their squad for that Premier League fixture, with full focus on overturning the deficit in Europe.

What are Leeds’ chances of relegation?

As of now, Leeds are forecasted by Opta to finish on 45 points, which would see them finish seven points above the drop zone if other predictions come true.

The Whites have a mere 1.25 per cent chance of relegation, with Tottenham still the favourites to suffer the drop into the Championship.

They have a 58.7 per cent chance of relegation, though that could change if they secure all three points against Aston Villa this weekend.