On Monday, provisional Sky Bet Championship fixtures and dates were revealed for the return of football.
Leeds United currently top the table, sitting seven points clear of Fulham in third place, with nine games left to play.
Prior to the postponement of sport in the UK due to the Coronavirus, Leeds were the form team in the Championship, having won five matches in a row, without conceding a goal.
Here we take a closer look at the opponents Marcelo Bielsa’s side are set to come up against in the race for promotion to the Premier League.
Cardiff City (A) Sun Jun 21 (12:00pm)
Manager/head coach: Neil Harris
League position: 9th
Last five matches: DLLDW
Top scorer: Callum Paterson/Lee Tomlin (7)
Last meeting: Leeds United 3-3 Cardiff City (14December 2019)
Head to head: 17 Leeds wins, 14 draws, 28 Cardiff wins
First up, Leeds travel to Cardiff City and Neil Harris’ side will believe they can still make it into the Play-Offs this season. The Bluebirds currently sit just two points behind Preston North End who occupy the final top six spot. The Welsh outfit still have a number of players in their ranks who won promotion from the Championship in 2018 and will be looking to hit the ground running when play resumes. Neil Harris replaced Neil Warnock in November and Cardiff have lost just five times in 25 games since. Leeds playmaker Pablo Hernandez was on the scoresheet the last time the Whites defeated the Bluebirds at Cardiff City Stadium, scoring a memorable strike as part of a 2-0 victory in September 2016.
Fulham (H) Sat Jun 27 (3:00pm)
Manager/head coach: Scott Parker
League position: 3rd
Last five matches: LDWWD
Top scorer: Aleksandar Mitrovic (23)
Last meeting: Fulham 2-1 Leeds United (21 December 2019)
Head to head: 22 Leeds wins, 15 draws, 19 Fulham wins
Leeds will return to Elland Road for the first time since March against Fulham, who sit seven points behind the Whites in what could be one of the defining matches of the campaign. Bielsa’s men will be looking to prevent Scott Parker’s side making up any ground in the division, with the potential for Leeds to take a giant leap towards promotion. The Cottagers were 2-1 winners when the two sides last met in December and of course have the threat of the Championship’s top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic. On paper, Fulham arguably have one of the most difficult set of fixtures remaining, with Brentford, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion to play, alongside Leeds, who all sit in the top six.
Luton Town (H) Tue Jun 30 (7:45pm)
Manager/head coach: Nathan Jones
League position: 23rd
Last five matches: WLWDD
Top scorer: James Collins (11)
Last meeting: Luton Town 1-2 Leeds United (23 November 2019)
Head to head: 19 Leeds wins, 14 draws, 15 Luton wins
In recent weeks Luton Town have reappointed Nathan Jones as the club’s manager, following the departure of Graeme Jones. Currently sitting in the relegation zone, the Hatters have a six-point deficit to make up on Hull City who are in 21st place. Leeds have home advantage and will be looking for a similar performance to when the last sides both met in November, with Patrick Bamford on the scoresheet in a 2-1 victory at Kenilworth Road. Nathan Jones had a 51 per cent win rate in his first spell at Luton and there is no doubt the Hatters will be scrapping for their lives for Championship survival.
Blackburn Rovers (A) Sat Jul 4 (3:00pm)*
Manager/head coach: Tony Mowbray
League position: 10th
Last five matches: WDDDL
Top scorer: Adam Armstrong (12)
Last meeting: Leeds United 2-1 Blackburn Rovers (9 November 2019)
Head to head: 46 Leeds wins, 23 draws, 32 Blackburn wins
Over 8,000 Leeds United fans were due to travel to Ewood Park for the original fixture due to be held in April, in what would have been Leeds’ largest following of the season. Blackburn currently sit three points adrift of the top six places and will need to make a strong start to stand a chance of making the Play-Offs come the end of the season. Prior to the postponement of the league, Tony Mowbray’s side had won just once in five matches and unless they hit the ground running in the three games prior to facing Leeds, may have very little to play for.
Stoke City (H) Tue Jul 7 (7:45pm)*
Manager/head coach: Michael O’Neill
League position: 17th
Last five matches: LWDDW
Top scorer: Sam Clucas (10)
Last meeting: Stoke City 0-3 Leeds United (24 August 2019)
Head to head: 46 Leeds wins, 18 draws, 30 Stoke wins
When Michael O’Neill arrived at the Bet 365 Stadium, Stoke City sat at the bottom of the Championship with just two wins. The former Northern Ireland manager has clearly had a big impact, lifting the side to 17th spot, three points clear of the drop zone and had lost just once in five matches prior to the postponement of the league. If the Potters replicate that sort of form when the Championship restarts, by the time the Potters visit West Yorkshire, they could be all but safe. However if they don’t make a strong comeback, like Luton, they will be scrapping for every point. Leeds produced a fine performance at the Bet 365 back in August, with Stuart Dallas scoring one of the team goals of the season as part of a 3-0 victory.
Swansea City (A) Sat Jul 11 (3:00pm)*
Manager/head coach: Steve Cooper
League position: 11th
Last five matches: DWLDD
Top scorer: Andre Ayew (14)
Last meeting: Leeds United 0-1 Swansea City (31 August 2019)
Head to head: 20 Leeds wins, 7 draws, 12 Swansea wins
Swansea had a very impressive start to the campaign and are one of the eight sides to have inflicted defeat on Leeds this season. Striker Borja Baston who contributed greatly to that fine start, left for Aston Villa in January, but his replacement loan-man Rhian Brewster has had an impact with four goals in 11 games. Steve Cooper’s side now find themselves 11th in the table and like Blackburn, if they don’t make a strong start to the resumption of the Championship, may have to settle for a mid-table finish.
Barnsley (H) Tue Jul 14 (7:45pm)*
Manager/head coach: Gerhard Struber
League position: 24th
Last five matches: WWWLL
Top scorer: Cauley Woodrow (15)
Last meeting: Barnsley 0-2 Leeds United (15 September 2019)
Head to head: 26 Leeds wins, 17 draws, 20 Barnsley wins
Yorkshire derbies are always a battle and this encounter will surely prove to be no different. Both sides are likely to have so much to play for, with Leeds set to battle for promotion and the Tykes doing everything possible to remain in the division at the other end. Ex Leeds players Aapo Halme, Alex Mowatt and Clarke Oduor will also no doubt be looking to make a point on their return to Elland Road. Leeds will take comfort from recent meetings with the Reds, having won all of the last three matches, the last of which was a 2-0 win at Oakwell in September.
Derby County (A) Sat Jul 18 (3:00pm)*
Manager/head coach: Phillip Cocu
League position: 12th
Last five matches: DDLWW
Top scorer: Martyn Waghorn (12)
Last meeting: Leeds United 1-1 Derby County (21 September 2019)
Head to head: 57 Leeds wins, 29 draws, 38 Derby wins
Following Play-Off heartache last season and suffering a late equaliser against Derby back in September, the Leeds United squad will need no extra motivation in trying to secure three points at Pride Park in the penultimate game of the campaign. The arrival of Wayne Rooney to the Rams in January gave Derby a lift, but they are currently five points adrift of the Play-Offs and are back in 12th spot. The Rams will need a very strong run of form for this game to reach the top six and give this fixture even more spice.
Charlton Athletic (H) Wed Jul 22 (TBC)*
Manager/head coach: Lee Bowyer
League position: 22nd
Last five matches: LWLLL
Top scorer: Lyle Taylor (11)
Last meeting: Charlton Athletic 1-0 Leeds United
Head to head: 25 Leeds wins, 11 draws, 20 Charlton wins
Lee Bowyer guided Charlton Athletic to the Championship against the odds last season, so who would bet against him keeping the Addicks in the division this season? However, with the news three Charlton players will refuse to play when the league resumes, the task has been made even tougher. By the time this game comes around, both teams could have a lot to play for or nothing at all. Hopefully for Leeds though, this will be the final match in the Championship before a return to the top-flight.
*Please note, this fixture date and kick-off time may change subject to broadcast selections
