After looking like they might have finally found some rhythm, Leeds United once again stuttered in midweek, succumbing to defeat away to Stoke City.
The defeat was quite unexpected as Daniel Farke’s side had strung together three consecutive victories before their trip to the Bet365 Stadium, including an impressive comeback victory away to Norwich City.
The Peacocks have the chance to redeem themselves and get their promotion push back on track this weekend as they welcome the struggling Huddersfield Town to Elland Road in what should be a thoroughly entertaining West Yorkshire derby.
Here is a look ahead to Leeds’ next six fixtures, which includes a clash with league leaders Leicester City, as Football FanCast predicts how they’ll fare in the coming weeks…
Date
Competition
Opposition
H/A
28th October
Championship
Huddersfield Town
H
3rd November
Championship
Leicester City
A
11th November
Championship
Plymouth Argyle
H
25th November
Championship
Rotherham United
A
29th November
Championship
Swansea City
H
2nd December
Championship
Middlesbrough
H
Leeds United v Huddersfield Town
The West Yorkshire derby commences this weekend, with the Whites welcoming their old foes, Huddersfield Town.
Newly appointed Terriers boss Darren Moore has taken six points from his first six games in charge.
Though, his side will head into this affair as heavy underdogs, with the Peacocks beginning to shift into their latter gears after a troubled start to the campaign.
Additionally, with the quality of Joel Piroe, Wilfired Gnonto and Ethan Ampadu, Leeds should be winning this one, and comfortably at that.
Prediction: Leeds United 3-1 Huddersfield Town
Leicester City vs Leeds United
After playing what should be a relatively easy game against Huddersfield Town, Leeds United will have to play the best team in the Championship, Leicester City. And if that isn’t tough enough, it will be away as well.
It’s a clash between two of the former Premier League sides, and while the Whites are certainly doing okay so far this year and are still fighting for promotion, Leicester are flying.
The Foxes currently sit top the table with 12 wins from their first 13 games. They have scored 27 goals – the highest in the league – and have only conceded seven, which is the lowest in the league.
The likes of Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnonto should certainly help make this a more even contest, but with form taken into account and home advantage as well, we can’t see Farke’s men getting out of this one with anything.
Prediction: Leicester City 3 – 2 Leeds United
Leeds United vs Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle and Leeds United are quite similar in that whilst they have very different ambitions, it has been an up-and-down season thus far.
Beating Norwich City 6-2 is no mean feat, but Steven Schumacher’s side followed up that one-sided affair with a draw in Hull and home defeats to Millwall and Swansea City.
In spite of their comparatively limited budget, the Devonshire outfit don’t look out of their depth by any means and their front three of Bali Mumba, Morgan Whittaker and Ryan Hardie could cause any Championship defence a headache.
When facing the bigger teams in this division, Argyle haven’t shied away whatsoever. They drew 0-0 with Watford at Vicarage Road and were only denied a point against Southampton by Che Adams’ 94th-minute goal.
Due to this resilience when facing far better sides, Schumacher’s men may return to the south-west with something to show for it.
Prediction: Leeds United 1-1 Plymouth Argyle
Rotherham United vs Leeds United
After a lengthy international break, Leeds United are once again back in action as they travel to Championship strugglers Rotherham United on Saturday, 25th November.
The Millers have had a rough start to their campaign this season and currently sit all the way down in 22nd, with just two wins coming from their opening 12 games. In contrast, the Whites sit up in third with six wins to their name.
With this in mind, Leeds will be going into the encounter as overwhelming favourites, and with Rotherham possessing the worst defensive record in the league, the likes of Joel Piroe and Willy Gnonto will be licking their lips.
We can’t see anything other than a comfortable win for the visitors in this one.
Prediction: Rotherham 1 – 4 Leeds United
Leeds United v Swansea City
The West Yorkshire side welcome Swansea City in their final fixture of November.
Michael Duff’s team suffered defeat to promotion-hopefuls Leicester City on the weekend and followed that up with a meek performance against Watford that saw them come away with a 1-0 loss.
While, their showing against the Foxes was pretty encouraging, the home defeat to Watford has put a severe dent in their play-off aspirations as they currently find themselves sitting in 19th place and with just four wins to their name.
Leeds, come the end of November, will be hoping to have bridged the gap between themselves and second-placed Ipswich Town, who currently lie nine points ahead, with a game in hand.
Farke will certainly want to avoid a playoff campaign, if possible, so they’ll need to be winning their home games in order to propel themselves into the top two automatic promotion spots.
Should The Whites hit top gear, it will be a relatively comfortable evening, but anything less than that could see the away side earn a point.
Prediction: Leeds United 2-0 Swansea City
Leeds United vs Middlesbrough
Leeds United’s first game in December sees them welcome Middlesbrough to Elland Road in what should be a cracking contest.
At the time of writing, Boro are sat in ninth place in the table but are just two points behind the Whites, as is the incredible competitiveness of the Championship.
The Smoggies have won just as many league games as Leeds so far this season – six – but have lost five to the Whites three, showing just how close these two sides are.
The recent history of this fixture slightly favours Leeds as they have won two of the last five clashes while Boro have won just one. However, their last encounter came all the way back in February 2020, so it’s difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from that.
Ultimately, we reckon home advantage and the firepower of Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnonto will be enough to help Daniel Farke’s men get over the line, but it should be a closely fought affair and a great watch for the neutral.
Prediction: Leeds United 2-1 Middlesbrough