According to Gabby Agbonlahor, Leeds United will miss out on automatic promotion to the Premier League in favour of Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
Daniel Farke’s squad is now third in the Championship, one point behind Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys and Enzo Maresca’s Foxes, who lead on goal difference and have a game in hand over the pursuing pack.
While talkSPORT commentator Agbonlahor feels the Whites will lose out on an immediate return to the top division, he has stated that he expects Leeds to gain promotion this season via the playoffs.
On talkSPORT on Wednesday (10 April, 18:51), he said: “I just think that the way Ipswich are playing and their late goals, I think they’ve got that team spirit to get up, and I think if Leeds don’t finish in the top two, they’ll win the playoffs.
“They’re a very strong side, but I fancy Leicester and Ipswich to come up.”
Will Leeds United get promoted to the Premier League ahead of Ipswich and Leicester?
The competition for the Championship’s top spot could not be closer, and it appears like none of the three teams vying for automatic promotion desire to win the title, as they consistently drop points week after week.
Leeds have demonstrated this season that they can beat anyone in England’s second division, but the last few weeks have seen them take their foot off the throttle and lose a small amount of distance.
However, one or two victories will change everything. They understand that if they win every game from now until the end of the season, they will have done everything they can to secure a spot in the automatic spots.
It remains to be seen whether Farke’s team will have the energy and drive to compete again in the playoffs if they fail to advance. However, as Agbonlahor pointed out, Leeds have the potential to earn promotion in one way or another.
