Due to a local fire that broke out on Wednesday, Leeds United’s promotion rivals Southampton suffered a setback in their pursuit of the top two. Their midweek matchup against Preston was postponed.
This season, with four teams fighting for two spots in the automatic promotion slot, the Whites’ promotion push is sure to come down to the wire.
This season, Leicester, Ipswich, Leeds, and Southampton have all displayed play worthy of the top two teams, but by May, only one of them will be unbeaten.
Following Tuesday night’s three-point victories by Leeds, Leicester, and Ipswich, all eyes were on Southampton’s potential response against play-off contenders Preston at home.
But the match was postponed when a fire broke out in the industrial building next to the ground, preventing the match from taking place:
At the start of this weekend’s games, Southampton was still six points behind Leeds and eight ahead of the international break.
More fixtures to add to an already hectic portion of the season is the last thing any Championship team wants in April.
After this impending international break, pressure will be at its maximum, and many squads’ performances are suffering from the amount of football being played.
According to Alfie House, Russell Martin’s Saints have seven games scheduled for April, and one more is going to be rescheduled.
Their hopes of finishing well in the final stretch could be severely impacted by this congestion, especially as the second postponed match is a midweek matchup against league leaders Leicester City, which has been confirmed for the 23rd of April:
Southampton could blow the race wide open with games against Ipswich and Leicester to come, but they also aren’t in an ideal spot with eight games in April looming.
