Gary Lineker fires Leeds United warning after what Micah Richards told him
Micah Richards is keen to see Leeds United and Burnley earn promotion to the Premier League this season.
The promotion race in the Championship is shaping up nicely with only 10 games left to play as Leeds sit level on points with Sheffield United at the top, while Burnley trail by two points.
All three teams are determined to clinch an automatic promotion spot but one of them face having to play offs with three other times after the league phase.
Leeds will be disappointed with themselves after letting their lead at the top of the table slip following a draw against West Brom and a defeat against Portsmouth in consecutive games.
Gary Lineker issues playoffs warning to Leeds United
Assessing the state of things in the Championship, Richards said that he is particularly keen to see Leeds and Burnley go up among all the promotion contenders.
The pundit explained that personally knowing players from both sets of teams adds to his desire to see them play in the Premier League next season.
“I know all Burnley players because I watch Burnley, I got to their games, and obviously Leeds are local, so I know all their players as well”, Richards said on the Rest is Football show (10 March).
“I just really want to see them in the Premier League”.
| Teams | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal Difference | Points |
| 1. Leeds | 36 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 49 | 76 |
| 2. Sheffield United | 36 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 76 |
| 3. Burnley | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 39 | 74 |
Gary Lineker, though, reminded Richards that only two among Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United will get automatic promotion.
He also pointed out how the team that finishes third often tend to have little success in the playoffs.
“One of them is going to have to go in the playoffs”, Lineker replied.
“It’s going to two from three and it’s so tight, but you know what happens in those playoffs, it’s so often the team in third that misses out, isn’t it?
“That’s so often the case, so we’ll see what happens.”
Daniel Farke determined to avoid playoffs
Leeds had to participate in the playoffs last season after finishing third in the table and eventually faced heartbreak when Southampton beat them for the third promotion spot at Wembley.
While Lineker’s claim proved true on that occasion, that is not always the case.
Luton Town earned promotion to the Premier League after finishing third in the 2022-23 season, while Brentford did it in the 2020-21 campaign.
The Bees, though, missed out after finishing third the previous season. Same was the case for Huddersfield in 2021-22.