Leeds United's automatic promotion state of play

Transcript

00:00 Leeds United's automatic promotion hopes are in the balance but will definitively be

00:05 decided on the final day of the season at home to Southampton.

00:08 Rivals Ipswich Town have their game in hand against Coventry City on Tuesday night.

00:12 And regardless of the outcome in the Midlands, Leeds know they must beat Russell Martin Saints

00:16 at Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime to give themselves the best chance of automatic promotion.

00:21 An Ipswich win or draw against Coventry will mean Leeds must better track the boys' result

00:25 on the final day, which could be easier said than done considering Ipswich are at home

00:29 to Huddersfield who are already relegated unless they manage to overturn a 15-goal goal

00:34 difference swing and beat Ipswich, which does seem altogether unlikely.

00:39 Leeds will have had a full week of training under their belts ahead of facing Southampton,

00:42 still reeling from the 4-0 defeat by QPR last Friday.

00:45 Daniel Tharker had the players in at Thorp Arch on Saturday to go over the game in the

00:49 analysis suite and to rally the troops ahead of the final game.

00:53 It does appear more likely that Leeds will need to rely on the playoffs if they're going

00:56 to be promoted back to the Premier League.

00:58 The date for the first leg, which will be away, is on Sunday, May 12th at 12.30pm.

01:03 The second leg will be played at Elland Road on Thursday, May 16th at 8pm.

01:08 A playoff final is scheduled to take place on the afternoon of Sunday, May 26th.

01:13 Tharker doesn't want to think about or discuss the playoffs until his team are mathematically

01:17 consigned to them, which means there won't be much chatter about that at this week's

01:20 pre-match press conference.

01:22 By then, we'll know the outcome of Ipswich's game with Coventry, whose only win in their

01:26 last six across all competitions came against Leeds at the beginning of this month.

01:31 But stranger things have happened, and Ipswich have drawn their last three games, including

01:34 conceding a late equaliser against Hull City on Saturday evening just gone.

01:38 That 3-3 draw meant Leeds stay in second place for the time being by the virtue of superior

01:43 goal difference.

01:44 Nevertheless, Saturday afternoon could prove to be a huge occasion or an opportunity for

01:49 Leeds to build some momentum going into the playoff picture.

01:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]