Leeds United may be promoted to the Premier League on goal difference if they finish level on points with Ipswich Town at the end of the 2023/24 Championship season.
Leeds United could use their superior goal difference to gain automatic promotion to the Premier League this season.
Daniel Farke’s side is presently second in the Championship, after losing 4-0 to 17th-place Queens Park Rangers on Friday night.
The Whites are closely followed by Ipswich Town in third place, with Kieran McKenna’s side squandering points against playoff contenders Hull City. The game ended 3-3 at the MKM Stadium on Saturday evening, with the Tractor Boys grabbing the lead three times before failing to win.
Both teams have 90 points in the race for the final automatic promotion position, following Leicester City’s return to the top flight of English football without kicking a single ball. What is the only item that separates the two sides? Goal difference. Leeds’ goal difference is currently 39, having scored 81 goals and conceded 41 in 45 games this season.
Meanwhile, Ipswich have been more prolific in front of goal, with 88 goals, but more vulnerable at the back, having conceded 56 in 44 games. This leaves them with a goal differential of 32.
McKenna’s side now has a game in hand on Leeds, but even with that, Ipswich will face a difficult task in closing the nine-goal difference. So, if both teams finish even on points at the conclusion of the season, Leeds will return to the high heights of the Premier League based on goal difference.
Leeds will now face their final test of the season at Southampton. Russell Martin’s side is now in fourth place and may try to rest players ahead of the play-offs, since they are unable to catch Ipswich in third and have an 11-point lead over Norwich City in fifth.
McKenna’s side will play their final two games of the season against Coventry City and relegation rivals Huddersfield Town, with the hunt for second place coming down to the final day of the season this time.
If sides end even on goal difference, goals scored will be considered, with Ipswich likely to be promoted. If this figure is the same, the head-to-head record is taken into consideration. Leeds has won both encounters between the two teams this season, with a 4-0 victory at Elland Road in December and a thrilling 4-3 away win in August.
