Leeds United run-in truth as Sheffield United and Burnley hardest games debate settled

A week or so ago, many viewed Leeds United as having the easiest run in by some distance when compared to their Championship promotions rivals. And on paper, they still do. A defeat to Portsmouth and a draw away at Queens Park Rangers either side of a home win against Millwall has seen the Whites pick up four points from a possible nine. Add in the draw with West Bromwich Albion and that is five points out of a potential 12.

Both Portsmouth and QPR both sit in the bottom half of the table yet put United to the sword at various points across both games, highlighting how there are no easy or predictable games in the Championship. The table now shows Sheffield United level on points with Leeds, albeit with a far inferior goal difference.

Burnley in third are just two points behind the table-toppers. The other side of the international break denotes the run-in period. Eight games remain and taking a dive into the remaining fixture lists reveals the strength of opposition they have to face. The comparison shows that Leeds have a schedule that involves opponents with a lower average table position and points average than their promotion rivals. There is a bit of a gap between United's run-in metrics and Burnley's.

Of course, this is only on paper and there are lots of variables that can come into play. But these are how the run-in numbers stack up.

Key - home / away