Cup finals will dominate next season’s Championship schedule. There are expected to be at least 46 across the nine months of football being played out in the second tier and they will all involve Leeds United.
Don’t fret though, Sky Sports is bound to be broadcasting the vast majority of them live across their channels. The Whites always felt like a big fish in a small pond through their 16 years of top-flight exile and that gulf has only grown after relegation.
Boosted by three years of Premier League wealth and international talent, United have only seen the target on their back grow during their EFL hiatus. One of the challenges the next head coach will have to manage is that expectation and being the opponent’s cup final every weekend.
The status Leeds carry in the second tier has already been underlined by Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe. The Deepdale manager was asked about this month’s release of next term’s fixtures and he could not resist picking out Leeds as the biggest from all 46.
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“The one that stands out for me is Leeds at home on Boxing Day,” he told Preston’s website. “Wow, what a fantastic game that will be. I’m sure the stadium will be sold out.”
United are already being circled in red on whiteboards across the Championship’s training grounds and it’s still only June. This is the kind of pressure and fight they will have to overcome if they want to earn that return to the Premier League.
