Highlights
- Leeds United face a tough challenge against league leaders Leicester City, who have been dominant this season and have a strong squad.
- Leeds will need to be wary of multiple threats from Leicester, including players like Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jamie Vardy, and Kelechi Iheanacho.
- Leeds' automatic promotion hopes depend on a victory in this game, as earning just a point would be seen as a positive result, but not many teams will get something away to Leicester.
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leeds United will visit league leaders Leicester City on Friday night in a huge game at the top of the Championship table.
The Foxes have been the dominant force in the second division so far this season, winning 13 of their opening 14 league fixtures.
Leeds are 14 points adrift of the league leaders already at this early stage of the campaign, but Friday night offers Daniel Farke’s side the opportunity to close that gap before it gets too big.
The Whites are aiming for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, but need to earn consistent results in order to claw back the gap to the current top two.
Who should Leeds United fear ahead of Leicester City clash?
FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith has claimed that there are a lot of different players that could feasibly hurt the away side on Friday night.
He believes Leicester have the best squad in the division, naming multiple threats that Farke’s team will need to be wary of on their trip to the King Power Stadium.
“I mean, they’re top of the league, 14 points clear for a reason so take your pick really,” Smith told Football League World.
“They’ve got players all over the pitch from back to front, they do have the best team in the league.
“Even though I would like to say that we’re not close behind, but some of the talent they have is worth obviously being very concerned about.
“A lot has been made about Stephy Mavididi on their left wing, but Abdul Fatawu who's on the other channel is surely going to cause us a lot of problems down our left.
“Then, you’re looking in midfield and you’ve got Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s output that has been immense, and I’m not surprised he’s doing it in the Championship cause he was a good player in the Premier League for them, and he’s obviously someone to
keep an eye on if our midfield doesn’t show up like they didn’t at Southampton.
“He will hurt us.
“Then, for forward threats, thank God that Harvey Barnes is no longer there because he scores every time he plays against us, but they’ve got Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho as an attacking pairing which is just stupidly good for this level.”
Where are Leeds United in the Championship table?
Championship Table (As it stands October 31st) | ||||
Team | P | GD | Pts | |
1 | 14 | 21 | 39 | |
2 | 13 | 14 | 34 | |
3 | 14 | 9 | 25 | |
4 | 14 | -1 | 24 | |
5 | 14 | 8 | 23 | |
6 | 14 | 7 | 23 | |
7 | 14 | 4 | 23 | |
8 | 14 | 8 | 22 | |
Victory for Leeds on Friday would close the gap between these teams to 11 points.
Can Leeds United get a result away to Leicester City?
Leeds have won four of their last five league games, so come into this clash in a good run of form.
However, Leicester are in the middle of a winning run that stretches back to early September, with Enzo Maresca’s side victorious in their last nine league games.
Earning just a point on Friday should be seen as a positive result, as not many teams will get something away to the Foxes.
But their automatic promotion hopes rely on a victory at this stage, putting a lot of pressure on Leeds to fight for all three points.