How Leeds, Sheffield United & Burnley's final 8 Championship fixtures compare | OneFootball

Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley are all in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League

The race for the two automatic promotion places will come to a head in the final eight games of the Championship season with Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley all in the hunt.

The Clarets find themselves outside the top two as the league prepares to return to action after the March international break.

Scott Parker’s side trail both Sheffield United and Leeds by two points, with everything still to play for going into April and May.

With all three sides in good form, any slip ups between now and 3 May could prove very costly in the race for a place in the Premier League.

Here we compare the remaining fixtures each team has left in the regular campaign…

Sheffield United travel to Burnley

Sheffield United are second in the table, level on points with leaders Leeds, and they get their eight-game run-in underway on 28 March with a big home clash against Coventry City, who have rocketed up to seventh with their recent good run of form.

Their next four games come against the sides currently sitting 18th, 11th, 24th and 21st in the table, facing Oxford United, Millwall, Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City.

Chris Wilder’s team will be targeting 12 points from 12 in this run, before a huge trip to face Burnley on 21 April in their antepenultimate fixture.

The Blades end the campaign with games away to Stoke City and at home to Blackburn Rovers.

Meanwhile, the Clarets’ preparation for the game at Turf Moor against Sheffield United will see them face seventh place Bristol City on 29 March, Coventry on 5 April, 22nd place Derby County at Pride Park, Norwich at home and Watford away.

The first two fixtures in that run could cause big issues given both the Robins and Sky Blues are in such good form at the moment, but the Lancashire outfit will be confident of a sizable points haul in the subsequent games to remain in the hunt for a top two spot.

Parker’s team end their regular season with games against QPR and Millwall.

Leeds United’s Championship title challenge run-in

Daniel Farke’s side begin their run-in with a home clash against Swansea City on 29 March in a 3pm kick-off.

The Whites follow that up with a trip to relegation-threatened Luton Town before a midweek clash away to the Riverside to face play-off chasing Middlesbrough.

Leeds won’t play any of their automatic promotion rivals in the final weeks, meaning their fate is entirely in their own hands.

The Yorkshire outfit return to Elland Road on 12 April to face Preston North End in the first of three home games to end the campaign.

The Whites travel to Oxford United on 18 April before two final home fixtures against Stoke and Bristol City, where supporters will be hoping a place in the Premier League will be secured.

If not, then their final game, away to 24th place Plymouth, could be the destination for the club’s return to the top flight at the second attempt, having come third last year and losing the play-off final.