Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass has predicted who will win the Championship play-offs as Leeds United prepare to take on Daniel Farke’s old side Norwich City in the semi-finals.
Leeds’ inability to hold onto second place has seen Farke’s men drop into third place and forced to go into the play-offs. With Norwich losing on the final day against Birmingham, they now take on Leeds.
It sees Farke return to Carrow Road for the second time in a season having done so earlier this term. A game which saw Crysencio Summerville score the winner in a brilliant 3-2 comeback at Carrow Road.
Leeds also beat Norwich at Elland Road earlier this season, with Patrick Bamford scoring the only goal of the game in January. Jack Stacey knows Norwich will be in for a tough test come Sunday afternoon.
Speaking on The EFL podcast this week, Sheffield Wednesday’s Windass predicted who he thinks will win the Championship play-offs and commented on the mental effect of missing out on the top two can have.
Here is what the son of Dean Windass said:
Windass predicts whether Leeds United will win the play-offs
In the other semi-final, Southampton will face Carlos Corberan’s West Brom with the Baggies climbing into fifth place after a final-day win over Preston thought the Saints will be expected to win over two legs.
Windass was brought up in Yorkshire after being born in Hull and spending 10 years in Huddersfield’s academy. He thinks Leeds will win the play-offs but said missing out on the top two can have an effect.
“Bolton will go up. I still think Doncaster and Leeds will win the play-offs. With Leeds not making the top two, I do think there is a mental effect. Years ago when I was at Accrington, we lost out on goal difference.
“Looking back now I’m a bit older, the manager was, ‘argh, we’ve got to do the play-offs’. I don’t know if Leeds will be doing that but that mentality of it being a nightmare. We got knocked out in the semi-finals.
“Leeds need to get that behind them now. Norwich and West Brom are more buzzing they’re in the play-offs. It can mentally have an effect,” Windass said on the latest installment of the EFL podcast this week.
Micah Richards agrees with Windass that Leeds United go up
Windass is not the only person to predict that Farke’s men end up winning the play-offs at Wembley on May 26. Micah Richards thinks Leeds’ attacking stars will get them over the line in the upcoming play-offs.
Whether Leeds can do that rests on ending their recent bad spell of form, and if they are able to get over missing out on the top two to Ipswich in the coming few weeks starting on Sunday against Norwich.
Avoiding defeat in the first leg is key before welcoming David Wagner’s men to Elland Road a few days later. If they get a draw or even a narrow win, then it almost cements in the final at the end of the month.