Leeds United: Joel Piroe issues Leicester City warning amid title race | OneFootball

Joel Piroe has made a confident statement about Leeds United's chances of winning the Championship title.

Leeds take on Championship leaders Leicester City tonight in a match that could either put the Whites right back in the hunt for first place, or create a massive gap between Leicester and the chasing pack behind them.

A win for the Foxes would put them 12 points ahead of Daniel Farke's side, who are currently in second place thanks to their superior goal difference over Southampton.

Heading into the game, Leeds striker Piroe made a bold claim about his team's chances of finishing the season at the top of the league table.

Joel Piroe on Leeds' chances to win the Championship

Speaking to LUTV, the Dutch forward said that catching Enzo Maresca's side is definitely achievable, and that they have to be thinking about winning all of their remaining 13 games.

"With the points up for grabs, it's achievable, yes," said the 24-year-old. "We know as well what normally has been enough to have automatic promotion might not be enough this season, so we just have to try to win every game that we play from now on."

When asked about how he deals with the pressure and expectation that comes with representing the Elland Road natives, Piroe said: "You always have the expectation at Leeds that you win the games, comfortably as well. But I think it's just staying switched on, making sure that we deserve to win every game.

"If we work harder than the opposition, if we show just more quality with the ball and without the ball, then I am certain we can beat every team."

Leeds' run-in isn't as easy as it appears

In their final 13 league matches of the 2023/24 campaign, Farke's team will face five of the current bottom six. They are Huddersfield Town (A), Stoke City (H), Sheffield Wednesday (A), Millwall (H), and Queens Park Rangers (A).

Logic would suggest that this is perfect; who better to play than all the worst teams in the league this season? But, a phrase we often come back to at this time of year, in the world of football, is 'being on the beach'. This is in reference to a team that doesn't have much to play for. They aren't going to have a chance at making the playoffs, but they're also almost guaranteed to not be in a relegation battle. These are the teams you want to play near the end of the season.

Because they don't have anything specific to fight for, they tend to be slightly easier games. On the other hand, if you are playing against a team that is fighting for its life near the bottom of the league, you best believe you're going to be in for a hard fought 90 minutes.

In terms of quality, Leeds will be able to overpower almost every team they play against from now until the end of the season, on the 4th May. What they can't account for is potential complacency against one of the lower-end sides who are going to be well up for it, not just because they're playing Leeds, but because they absolutely have to. Those are the dangerous teams you don't want to face come the end of the season; the Whites are facing five of them.