Former Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie has heaped praise on Leeds ahead of their clash on Sunday, saying they were ‘a joy to watch’ in the game at Villa Park earlier in the season.
Leeds won that game 3-2 and looked set for automatic promotion until two defeats over the Easter break looks like consigning them to the play-offs, with Aston Villa already guaranteed a spot in the top-six.
Talking on the Noel Whelan Show (BBC Radio Leeds, Friday, 6pm), Hendrie was also asked to predict the play-offs and he said he thought Aston Villa were favourites, but admitted you never know what’s going to happen in the Championship.
“Leeds have been one of my favourites this season the way they play football,” said Hendrie.
“They were a joy to watch at Villa Park and they just seemed to fall away at the vital part of the season.”
Asked about the play-offs Hendrie said that Villa had to be favourites with their current form that now stands at ten consecutive wins.
“Favourites in the play-offs? Looking at the form then yes, but listen we’re talking about the Championship. Fulham did it last year, they had a brilliant run and all the momentum going into the play-offs, but the teams that are in and around there… Leeds, West Brom, potentially they’re all Premier League clubs.
OPINION
Leeds have been a joy to watch this season and it looks like they’re going to have to rediscover the form that put them within a whisker of automatic promotion if they want to get up through the play-offs. Aston Villa, West Brom and Derby are the most likely teams that will stand in their way and that makes for a mouth-watering set of fixtures. Leeds could meet Aston Villa in the final, which would be a game worthy of entry into the Premier League. Leeds beat Villa earlier in the season at their home ground, but fortunes have been reversed since then and Villa will fancy nicking something from Elland Road on Sunday. The game might not have any bearing on the league – Villa are already guaranteed play-offs and Leeds could be resigned to the same if Sheffield United beat Ipswich on Saturday – but it could have a huge psychological boost for either side going into the play-offs. If Leeds do the double over Villa they won’t have any fear about meeting them at Wembley for the biggest prize in English football.