Leeds United promotion chances updated by supercomputer after weekend results
Leeds United have seen their Championship promotion chances slightly dented after this weekend’s results.
While Leeds crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 loss against Millwall at Elland Road on Saturday (8 February), their Championship title rivals were in action.
Last time out in the league, the Whites had the last laugh over Frank Lampard in a 2-0 win against Coventry City to maintain their pace as the league leaders.
However, in a clash clouded by tragedy chanting at Elland Road, Daniel Farke’s men allowed the 14th-place side to score two goals without reply in a rare off-performance on home soil.
Leeds United are on track for Premier League return
Sheffield United claimed a 2-1 win against Portsmouth on the same day, while Sunderland scored an 89th-minute equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw against Watford.
Those results now see the Blades move within two points of Leeds at the Championship summit, with Sunderland not far behind in third place, only five points adrift.
After the Coventry win, the supercomputer gave the Whites a 70.7 per cent chance of winning the title, with a 91.08 per cent chance for automatic promotion, and a predicted tally of 95 points.
However, Opta Analyst’s supercomputer [10 February] now awards Leeds a 90.2 per cent chance of automatic promotion and a 68.58 per cent chance of winning the title, which marks a small decrease across the board.
Farke is well on track to secure a long-awaited Premier League return, with the predicted points tally remaining intact.
However, the increase in odds for Sheffield United and Sunderland is piling pressure on the Whites to stay on course heading into the business end of the season.
Joel Piroe comments spark concern at Elland Road
And on the back of the weekend results, Joel Piroe has thrown a spanner in the works in West Yorkshire following his concerning comments on the Whites’ promotion chances this season.
Piroe, who has contributed 13 goals in 31 outings thus far, cited the congested Championship fixture schedule as the leading reason why Leeds are so eager to avoid a playoff finish.
Of course, Farke saw his Premier League aspirations snatched away last season after the 1-0 loss against Southampton in the playoff final, with Adam Armstrong’s goal the deciding factor.
Although the Saints are struggling in the top flight with only a single-digit points return after 24 matches, the Whites would undoubtedly have fancied themselves to do better in the Premier League this season.
Nevertheless, last year’s disappointment has certainly fuelled Leeds’ ambition this season to achieve greater heights in the Championship.
Furthermore, the core group that last plied their trade in the top division are still on the books at Elland Road, meaning their prior experience will automatically give the Whites the upper hand against any Championship outfit that follows them up the football pyramid.