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It has been a fascinating automatic promotion race in the Championship this season, hasn’t it?

In what has developed into a three-way battle for the top-two positions, Leeds United, Sheffield United and Norwich City have all swapped places in recent months yet it is the Canaries who now find themselves five points clear of their rivals.

Nevertheless, with seven games left this season, there is still a lot to play for and so there should be no reason why Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites cannot win the title in May, especially if they embark on a long-winning run.

21 points from their remaining fixtures would see Leeds reach a total of 97 points which has been enough to finish in first position for the last twenty seasons in the second tier. Although this would be an almighty ask for Bielsa’s side, even five victories and two losses should see them challenge Norwich. The Canaries’ run-in includes tough fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa who are both challenging for a play-off position whilst an away trip to relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic could prove to be a potential issue for Daniel Farke’s side.

If they do slip-up, Leeds should be prepared to take advantage and could use the goal of winning the title to avoid any complacency in the coming weeks. With Sheffield United just two points behind the Whites in the league, Bielsa’s men will need to be on top-form to fend off their Yorkshire rivals and so they could use this pressure to keep tabs with Norwich which will in-turn create a fascinating crescendo to what has already been a season to remember in the Championship.

Lifting the title in May has over the years traditionally resulted in the side maintaining their Premier League status for the following campaign with the only exceptions in the last six years being Cardiff City in 2014.

What do you think Leeds fans? Can your side still launch a late bid for the title? Do you think it matters how you achieve promotion? Let us know below.

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Arsenal fans on Twitter have been calling for Joe Willock to play over Mohamed Elneny after his impressive performances for the Under 23s this season.

Elneny had a shocking game against Everton as the Gunners were beaten 1-0 at Goodison Park and fans have been lobbying for Willock to take his place in the team.

Willock has made cameo appearances for the London club in the Europa League this season – the midfielder has made two appearances in the competition so far and even netted himself a goal against Vorskla Poltava.

The midfielder has also made appearances in the Checkatrade Trophy for Arsenal’s youth side where he netted three goals in two matches.

The 19-year-old was on the scoresheet again on Monday, this time for the Under 23s in the Premier League 2 as the Gunners comprehensively beat Derby 5-0.

Performances like this have seen fans of the London club on Twitter wanting to see Willock in the first team as a replacement for Elneny.

Here’s what Arsenal fans had to say on Twitter…

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Charlton’s tremendous run of form has seen them soar into contention for automatic promotion, with just four points separating the Addicks and second-placed Sunderland.

With five games of the season remaining, Lee Bowyer’s side could skip the play-offs altogether if they can keep up their winning ways, although that will be a big ask, with a visit from league leaders Luton Town upcoming this week.

Bowyer has done a fantastic job at the Valley even with limited backing from the owners, although he has yet to sign a new deal to keep him at the wheel beyond the summer, with Roland Duchatelet and co having waited until QPR started sniffing around to get their act together.

Regardless of the uncertainty surrounding his future, the 42-year-old admirably said in his pre-Luton presser that his priorities lie with trying to get Charlton back into the Championship:

“I’ve just spoken to Lieven (de Turck). He asked what I was thinking about the offer and it was a positive conversation. They know what I expect, so I’m sure we’ll get there. It might take a bit of time, but a few more weeks won’t hurt.

“I just want to try and concentrate on what we’re doing here. I want to see us keep winning games and then see where we end up. The contract thing will sort itself out, I just want to get promotion. That’s more important.”

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

The ‘contract thing’ should indeed sort itself out if Bowyer can steer the Addicks up alongside their weekend opponents in the table, and the fact that he has already held contract talks with de Turck is of course a great sign.

The Charlton boss will certainly be a man in demand in the summer if he doesn’t put pen to paper though – his achievements at the Valley are remarkable and he is looking like one of the brightest young managers that the EFL has to offer.

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Manchester United fans have once again pointed the finger at Paul Pogba after he put in a poor performance against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

The World Cup winner was wholly ineffective at Camp Nou and his performance hasn’t helped shake his reputation of going missing in big games.

United were well beaten by Barca on Tuesday with Lionel Messi putting on a majestic performance as the Red Devils were brushed aside 3-0.

The 6 foot 3 midfielder has often been the scapegoat for United after his club record move from Juventus in 2016 and fans have once again highlighted him as the player who didn’t perform up to standard.

The Frenchman has enjoyed a good season on the whole netting 15 goals in all competitions for his club whilst also providing 10 assists.

Numbers like these haven’t saved Pogba from a barrage of criticism from fans who believe he needs to step up when the stakes are high.

Here’s what United fans have been saying on Twitter…

[ad_pod ]Leeds United face Wigan Athletic on Good Friday in a potentially season-defining game at Elland Road.Despite the gulf in league positions between the two teams, the Latics could still cause the Whites a few problems as shown in their 1-1 draw with league leaders Norwich last weekend.There will be one man on the pitch on Friday with extra incentive to throw the brakes on Leeds’ promotion push.

Clarke the danger

Leon Clarke may not have had many opportunities at Bramall Lane this season but he may yet end up the hero for the Blades if he can find the back of the net against Leeds.

Clarke joined Wigan on loan from Sheffield United in January and he would love nothing more than to score the goal which swings the promotion race in his parent club’s favour.

The striker certainly knows where the net is, bagging 19 goals in the league last season, and although the goals have dried up this year the 34-year-old is still a real danger and in this game – especially as he has a point to prove.

The Englishman will want to send a message to Chris Wilder that he should still be in his plans next season and putting in a performance against the Blades’ nearest competition would go a long way towards helping his cause.

Jansson to do the dirty work

The main part of Clarke’s game is his physical presence as shown by his performances against Hull and Fulham last season.

The six-foot-two striker was often able to get the better of Hull and Fulham’s centre-halves, allowing himself to net seven goals in the two games against the Tigers and the Whites. Tim Ream and Fikayo Tomori both had torrid times against the attacker as he used his body as a battering ram to constantly get into dangerous positions against the weaker defenders.

With Liam Cooper a doubt for the next match Gaetano Berardi is likely to step up. But if Clarke is allowed to target Berardi it could be a long afternoon for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as he doesn’t possess the strength needed to keep tabs on the target man.

Therefore, Leeds need to use the stronger and larger presence of Pontus Jansson and ask him to man-mark Clarke for 90 minutes to stop him from getting into goal scoring positions. The Swede has the physicality and tenaciousness to stop the Wigan forward and keep him out on Friday, but if he is allowed to target Berardi then Leeds could find themselves a goal down very quickly.

At the start of April, Luton Town had increased their unbeaten run in the league to 28 games and stood eight points clear of second place Barnsley, fast forward to now, and things can’t be any more different.

Nearly three weeks on from the Hatters 2-2 draw with Blackpool, Luton have played four more times, lost twice, and only picked up four points whilst their rivals in the league have massively closed the gap in the league table so that Barnsley are level on points and that Portsmouth are now only four points behind the League One leaders with a game in hand.

With one match left to go in the league, a win against Oxford United is an absolute must for Luton, who could potentially finish in the play-offs if they fail to win and both Barnsley and Portsmouth pick up three points in their final matches.

How did it go so wrong for Luton so quickly in the most crucial part of the season?

It’s been a mix of things for the Hatters as to why they unpredictably head into their final game of the season needing a win to claim the title. The prospect of promotion has clearly got to the heads of some of the players, and it has affected their form on the pitch.

The likes of Andrew Shinnie and Kazenga LuaLua have been underwhelming since the draw against Blackpool, and Mick Harford’s overthinking of tactics have cost the team points in recent weeks.

Teams around the league leaders hitting form at the right time has also majorly altered the table and ultimately damaged the Hatters promotion hopes, with the likes of Barnsley, Portsmouth and Sunderland all performing well and getting wins to see their points tally catch up to Luton.

Promotion to the Championship is still in Luton’s hands, but the team and manager know that one more slip up is not an option if they want to achieve back-to-back promotions.

Luton fans, can the Hatters seal promotion on the final day? Let us know!

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According to Portuguese radio station Bola Branca, via Renascenca, Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Benfica attacker Rafa Silva, and Magpies fans have been quick to react on Twitter.

The forward’s agent, Antonio Araujo, was quoted as saying: “They (Newcastle) are one of those interested. Whatever happens, will happen.”

According to Bola Branca, via Renascenca, the 25-year-old has a release clause set at €60m (£51.4m) in his contract, although you would think that he would be available for a fee much lower than that if he is to leave the Portuguese giants during the summer transfer window.

The winger, who can play on either flank, has scored 19 goals and provided a further three assists in 42 appearances in all competitions, and of course has Champions League experience from his time at the Stadium of Light.

Should Newcastle manage to pull off a deal for Silva, he would likely be competing with the likes of Matt Ritchie, Miguel Almiron and Christian Atsu for a spot out wide.

Has Salamon Rondon had a better season than Bobby Firmino? Matt from The Magpie Channel discusses in the video below…

Magpies supporters have been quick to have their link, responding to a thread from the NUFC360 fan page on Twitter, and it’s fair to say many aren’t expecting the move to happen for the “speed demon”.

Another said that if the club “offer them £20m they’d probably accept”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

If Tammy Abraham doesn’t return next season, then Villa need to find a top talent to replace his great goal tally for this season. Well, Stephane Bahoken would get nowhere near that amount of goals and would send the Villans backwards.

He’s only scored 11 goals this season for SCO Angers in Ligue 1, but everyone knows the quality in that league, bar PSG, is low. To have such a poor tally from 30 games shows he’s nowhere near the quality Villa need to re-establish themselves in the Premier League.

RMC Sport claim Villa are interested in signing the 26-year-old, but he’s rated at £4.5m by Transfermarkt and still has three seasons left on his contract. It’d be a huge risk to bring him to Villa Park and hope he can improve so quickly.

Abraham’s scored 25 goals this season from 37 league appearances, and he’s just 21. The gulf in quality between him and Bahoken is huge. They need to bring in a striker, but even taking a chance on another loanee would be less of a risk.

The Cameroon international can play right across the front three, so that’s a positive, but Villa need goals and that means an out-and-out striker who’s either young and fearless like Abraham or has a proven track record at a prestigious club.

Frankly, the jump from Angers to one of Britain’s most successful clubs would be massive.

There, the pressure to continue improving is huge, and Bahoken’s goal tally or experience in Ligue 1 will not stand him in good stead to deal with that. He’d be a step backwards.

Villa fans, who do you think your club should sign if Tammy Abraham doesn’t return next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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It has been reported that Manchester City could be hit with a one-season ban by UEFA, which would exclude them from competing in the Champions League due to alleged Financial Fair Play breaches.

The Citizens allegedly inflated the value of a multi-million pound sponsorship deal, although they have denied any wrongdoing; they received a £49m fine for previously breaching regulations back in 2014.

Should the ban actually happen, Pep Guardiola’s side will be left competing in just the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, a trio of competitions that they are already close to winning just this season alone and would sweep up again with ease should they fall out of Europe.

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

The Citizens’ squad is huge. Even the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez struggle to get consistent game time. If they are able to focus all of their efforts on the Premier League, we could see them reach levels that have never been seen before.

It’s worth mentioning that City became centurions in 2017/18, and finished on 98 points this time around whilst also competing in the Champions League – imagine what they could do if they weren’t in it at all.

To further reinforce this point, you only need to take a look at what Chelsea managed to do in a campaign where they weren’t involved in European competition.

The Blues ended the 2016/16 season in 10th place, leaving them free to focus on the league for the next term.

Under Antonio Conte’s management, and with considerably less players of genuine quality in comparison to City – only Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante were of true class in that side – the west Londoners won the league comfortably by seven points, winning 30 of their games.

Manchester United are the only team in Premier League history to win three successive Premier League titles on the bounce, with arguably one of the greatest teams in English top-flight history containing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar and many more.

If City do find themselves banished by UEFA for next season, they can take solace from the fact that there is a very real chance of them emulating the greatest achievement in Premier League history.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Danny Pugh has had his say on which players will be important for his old club if they are to reach the Premier League.

The Port Vale midfielder joined the Whites in 2004 from Manchester United and came back for a second spell in 2011.

Although Pugh failed to earn promotion during his time at Elland Road, he believes that if Kalvin Phillips and Pablo Hernandez are at their best, then the Yorkshire club have a great chance.

What’s been said then?

The former Stoke City player has highlighted the two players he believes will be essential if the Whites are to be victorious at Wembley later this month.

“(Pablo) Hernandez is obviously a big player with the goals and assists he brings,” Pugh told Football FanCast.

“But one player I’ve been massively impressed with is (Kalvin) Phillips, he was just a young lad when I was there, and he has come on leaps and bounds recently. The work he does in midfield will be vital for them.”

Hit the nail on the head

Pugh couldn’t be more right in choosing Phillips and Hernandez as Leeds’ two most important players for these final games.

The Spaniard won the club’s Player of the Year award for a reason. He has scored 12 goals and provided 12 assists, and if he can continue that type of form, then it will go a long way towards helping the Whites return to the Premier League.

Phillips has occupied the defensive midfield position for Marcelo Bielsa this season, and in his system, there may not be a more important role.

The 36-year-old highlighted Pugh’s work in the midfield, and that may be what ends up getting Leeds promoted.

Just watch their game against Aston Villa last month, and it is obvious what Phillips brings to the table. The 23-year-old did a great job of dealing with Jack Grealish that day, and if he can continue to be a strong defensive presence, then the Whites may well be back in the top flight next season.