“‘Let’s be honest’: Niall Quinn shares promotion verdict on Leeds after recent clash with Sunderland”
Niall Quinn reveals which team Sunderland should 'fear' more in the promotion race: Leeds United or Burnley.
Leeds United and Burnley are Sunderland’s closest competitors, with Sunderland leading the Championship by five points.
After selling Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town over the summer, Sunderland has exceeded many expectations to maintain their current top position.
However, their lead isn’t as commanding as the gaps Ipswich and Leicester City held over their rivals at the same stage last season.
Despite similar challenges, Leeds managed to remain competitive until the final moments in last year’s automatic promotion race.
Leeds have faced most of the teams in the top 10 this season, with Burnley being the only team to have defeated them.
Leeds’ points tally currently sits at 23, but some believe they deserved more from games against Portsmouth, Burnley, and Sunderland.
Leeds nearly achieved a statement victory at the Stadium of Light earlier this month, only to be denied by Illan Meslier’s dramatic error in the 97th minute, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
Former Sunderland striker Niall Quinn discussed the Championship promotion race on talkSPORT, particularly highlighting that draw, and expressed sympathy for Leeds, believing they were unfortunate not to secure a win.
Having observed the teams in contention, Quinn regards Leeds as the team Sunderland should be most wary of, even more so than Burnley.
Quinn remarked, “Let’s be honest—Leeds look very strong.
They were really unlucky not to come away with the three points at the Stadium of Light a few weeks ago, and they’ll be up there.
When the crucial part of the season arrives, they’ll be knocking on the door, and I would fear them, possibly more than Burnley.”
Looking ahead, the Championship season will start to take clearer shape after the upcoming international break.
This period marks a series of critical matches for Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley.
Comparing their next six fixtures reveals the upcoming challenges each side will face as they fight for top spots in the league.
These games could significantly impact their standings, and the race for automatic promotion is likely to intensify, with Leeds and Burnley aiming to close the gap on Sunderland in the weeks to come.
