Daniel Farke laughing as Leeds United top the list in new Premier League fixture reveal
Leeds United have the easiest set of remaining Premier League fixtures on paper as they aim to stave off relegation.
The Athletic has crunched the numbers using the Opta data and put together a power rankings based on Premier League sides’ 11 remaining fixtures this season.
While Leeds face second-placed Manchester City on Saturday at Elland Road, in what should be a very tough game, after that, their run-in gets easier.
Daniel Farke‘s side, who are six points clear of the relegation zone, still have to host basement side Wolves and relegation-threatened Burnley, along with out-of-form Sunderland, in the coming weeks.
And according to the report, Leeds’ mean difficulty of remaining matches in the power rankings is 91.5 – the lowest in the division.
Wolves, Brentford and Aston Villa have the next kindest stretch of games, based on league position, with Chelsea, Crystal Palace and West Ham having the hardest.
What are the exact chances of Leeds still being relegated from Premier League?
In late November, Leeds fans were calling for the sacking of manager Farke as they hovered just above the relegation zone.
But since a spirited 3-2 defeat to Manchester City on 29 November, Leeds’ fortunes have improved greatly. They are 15th in the Premier League and have lost just twice in their last 14 league games.
While a couple of bad results could plunge Leeds deep into the mire, they are showing the necessary tools to stave off relegation to the Championship.
Indeed, the Opta Supercomputer states that Leeds have a meagre 2.17 per cent chance of finishing 18th this season.
It adds that Leeds are most likely to finish in their current league position of 15th, with Opta rating their prospects of achieving that at 19.73 per cent.
The next most likely outcome is a 16th-placed finish at 18.69 per cent, with a 14th-positioned finish sitting at 15.18 per cent.
That may drop, however, if Leeds lose to City on Saturday and 18th-placed West Ham pick up a surprise win at Liverpool that same day.
The concerning trend that may derail Leeds’ season
Leeds looked to be heading to an unlikely victory against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday but a late Tammy Abraham equaliser ensured the game ended 1-1.
Leeds have now dropped 17 points from winning positions this season, with only Bournemouth (18), Newcastle United (19), Chelsea (19) and West Ham (20) being worse in that regard.
Moreover, Leeds have conceded 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of Premier League games this term. If they improved on this facet of the game, they would be well clear of the bottom three.
Abraham’s goal was the 12th league goal Leeds have let in from the 86th minute onwards this campaign – the most in that period of the game by any club in the top flight.
They may just have enough to stay in the Premier League but their late goal weakness could come back to haunt them down the final stretch.
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