On paper, it looks like Leeds United have the easiest path to promotion out of all the contenders.
Indeed, the Whites have to play just one of the top seven sides between now and the end of the season, in contrast, Fulham have to play all six of them, while Nottingham Forest still have to square off against three of the key playoff contenders.
However, Leeds’ run-in may not be as easy as it appears.
United have to play numerous teams down the bottom of the table, and while that sounds like a good thing, recent form suggests that it isn’t.
These teams are fighting for their lives, and they’re not willing to go down easily.
Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
The current bottom three in the Championship – Wigan, Luton and Barnsley – have won all won at least eight points from their last five games, and they’ve not been easy fixtures either.
Luton have claimed the scalp of Brentford, Barnsley turned over Fulham and Wigan have beaten high-flying Millwall.
Their good form means teams that seemed safe a few weeks ago are now back in the relegation battle, and they’ll need to find another gear if they are to secure their safety.
Realistically anyone not above Hull in the Championship table should be looking over their shoulders as the gap between Wigan and the Tigers is just four points.
The bad news for Leeds is that they still have to play six of the eights sides that are in danger of going down, and the recent form of the bottom three shows just what can happen when a team are fighting for their lives.
Marcelo Bielsa has often come unstuck against these lowly sides as well, nobody will forget Wigan’s two wins at Elland Road over the past two seasons, and this term they’ve lost to Charlton while making hard work of trips to Luton and Barnsley, relying on late goals to secure three points in those fixtures.
Leeds’ run to the end of the season may look relatively straight forward on paper, but they’re not out of the woods quite yet.
In other news, Leeds dodged a bullet in January by not bringing in this man.