Leeds United is unbeaten in 2024 and begins a busy Easter period with a trip to mid-table Watford on Friday.
Given their incredible record since Christmas, Leeds United will be many people’s favourites to win automatic promotion. Daniel Farke‘s side has won 12 of their 13 Championship games in 2024, earning an impressive 37 points out of a potential 39.
A win over Millwall before the international break sent the Whites to the top of the league for the first time this season. The United juggernaut will be difficult to halt in the final stretch.
However, nothing can be taken for granted in a fascinating promotion race. United enters the last phase of the season in strong form, but there is still much work to be done to secure their Premier League return. LeedsLive has conducted an in-depth analysis of their upcoming five fixtures.
Watford (A) – Friday, March 29
This appears a lot more difficult than it did a few weeks ago. Given the current fixture list, United will play last on both Good Friday and Easter Monday. It is a significant motivation for championship challengers Leicester City and Ipswich Town to win, and win convincingly, to put the Whites under pressure heading into the Vicarage Road game.
A hard-fought victory against Birmingham City broke the Hornets’ four-game losing streak and effectively ended any chance of getting pulled into the relegation battle. Watford are 13th in the table with 48 points, nine above the drop zone.
Following their victory against St Andrew‘s, interim manager Tom Cleverley is set to take charge of his first home game. The former Manchester United midfielder will be eager to undermine United’s promotion hopes.
Hull City (H) – Monday, April 1A mouthwatering Yorkshire derby in Elland Road to round off a vital Easter period. The Tigers have a lot riding on their ability to finish in the top six. City are now seventh, three points shy of the play-offs but with a game in hand over Norwich City.
Despite going seven games without defeat, the Tigers’ development has stagnated after four consecutive draws. Their last game was against Leicester on March 9. Head coach Liam Rosenior recently led his team to Turkey for a warm-weather training camp in preparation for the final two months of the season.
A word of caution: Hull has performed better away (nine victories) than at home (seven wins).
Coventry City (A) – Saturday, April 6.
The most difficult test in the next block of games. The Sky Blues are fighting on two fronts, having advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Mark Robins has worked wonders, leading Coventry to the play-off final last season. His squad is only four points behind sixth-placed Norwich City and has a game in hand.
Robins has made the Coventry Building Society Arena a challenging venue for opponents to visit. Only West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End have finished with maximum points.
Sunderland (H) – Tuesday, April 9
A home banker? Not exactly.
However, the Black Cats have been in dismal form, failing to win any of their previous seven matches and dropping out of the play-off picture. Stand-in leader Mike Dodds has yet to win since taking over the reins from the unpopular Michael Beale.
The less said about their away performance, the better. Sunderland has not won a game away from home since Boxing Day.
The Whites remain unbeaten in their 19 home league games this season (W15 D4).
Blackburn Rovers (Home) – Saturday, April 13
The Lancashire outfit has had a turbulent few months. Their fortunes have not improved significantly since John Eustace’s appointment, and Rovers are still far too near to the relegation zone for comfort.
Eustace, who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Rovers last month, has led the club to six league draws and two defeats since taking over from Jon Dahl Tomasson. Blackburn are currently in 17th place, three points clear of the relegation zone.
It would take a bold guy to bet against United not completing the league double over Rovers.
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