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When it comes to the push for promotion and the final 13 games, Leeds United have a favourable run-in on paper.

The rest of the top six, most notably Fulham, have all got to slug it out amongst one another, while Leeds have already played West Brom, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Preston and Bristol City all home and away already.

Fulham at home in mid-March is the only fixture that Leeds have left against sides in the current top seven, with plenty of mid-table sides and relegation battlers left to play.

Doubters will point to some notable off-days for Leeds this season - the 1-0 defeats to Charlton, QPR and Wigan - as evidence that football is played on the pitch rather than on paper, and the favourable fixture list means little.

But those results are the exceptions that prove the rule, and Leeds otherwise have a very strong record against bottom-half opposition this season, the best of the current top six.

Going into round 34 of Championship fixtures, Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites have played 15 matches against teams that currently occupy the bottom half. That’s the fewest of any side in the top half.

Of those 15 games, Leeds have won 11, drawn one (Derby’s 1-1 smash and grab at Elland Road) and lost three (those above). That averages out at 2.26 points per game, a far better ratio than that of their immediate promotion rivals.

Top Six Record vs Bottom Half

Club Bottom Half Record Points Per Game West Brom Pl18 W9 D7 L2 1.88 Leeds United Pl15 W11 D1 L3 2.26 Fulham Pl21 W11 D5 L5 1.71 Brentford Pl17 W10 D4 L3 2 Nottingham Forest Pl18 W9 D4 L5 1.72 Preston Pl18 W11 D1 L6 1.88

League leaders West Brom have played 18 games against bottom-half sides, winning just half, averaging 1.88 points per game. Slaven Bilic’s Baggies have only suffered two defeats to bottom-half sides (Middlesbrough and Stoke) but they’ve failed to beat relegation battlers Charlton and Barnsley home and away, drawing each time.

It’s actually fourth-placed Brentford that have the best record after Leeds, averaging exactly two points per game against bottom-half sides; winning 10, drawing four and losing three of 17. They’re also unbeaten against such sides since suffering a 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield on November 2nd.

Elsewhere, Fulham average just 1.71 points per game against bottom-half sides - they’ve been beaten by bottom side Barnsley twice. Nottingham Forest boast a similar record with 1.72 points per game, winning half of their 18 games against bottom-half opposition.

Sixth-placed Preston North End fare a little better with 11 wins from 18 games and an average of 1.88 points per game.

After beating Bristol City, Leeds face four bottom-half sides in a row - Reading, Middlesbrough, Hull and Huddersfield - and will look to build a head of steam before crunch matches away to Cardiff and at home to Fulham in mid-March.

They’ll be looking to repeat their excellent form of the autumn months, in which they won seven consecutive games, six of which were against sides that are currently in the bottom half.