Leeds are desperate to seal promotion as C’ship resumes

Leeds return to English Championship action with nine games to navigate in their bid to return to the English Premier League for the first time since 2004.

Marcelo Bielsa’s leaders are looking to put last year’s playoff misery behind them while West Brom are in the other automatic promotion slot, one point adrift.

Fulham are the closest challengers to the top two, six points behind West Brom, with Brentford and Nottingham Forest having to overcome a 10-point deficit if they are to claim automatic promotion.

The battle for a playoff place is much tighter with Queens Park Rangers, all the way down in 13th place, just six points off sixth spot.

Three-time English champions Leeds have suffered plenty of heartache in trying to return to the top-flight over the past 16 years.

An inconsistent spell of form between December and February threatened their promotion challenge once more, but they recovered to win five consecutive matches before the league was suspended in March.

But the lockdown could also come to Leeds’ aid as Bielsa sides have historically faded in the final part of the season due to the intense physical demand the Argentine puts his players under.

“The players have made a big effort so far, they’ve worked very responsibly,” said Bielsa, ahead of his side’s trip to Cardiff today.

“Even though we have had a long period of time working on the physical preparation and after one month with tactical and technical work, it is not like a normal pre-season.”

Bielsa said he was pleased that Leeds could finish the season and earn promotion in the right way, but expressed his sadness that fans would miss out on the action.

“We have to say the communication between the players and the supporters makes football,” he added.

“Without this relationship football is different.”

The Championship’s regular season will finish on July 22, followed by two-legged playoff semi-finals and final.

The semi-final first legs will be played on July 26 and 27, with the return matches taking place on July 29 and 30.

Wembley will host the final on August 4, which is widely regarded as the most lucrative football match in the world, with the winner gaining promotion to the riches of the Premier League.