Daniel Farke, the manager of Leeds United, needs to “sweep away” their play-off curse when they meet Southampton in the championship game on May 26 at Wembley, according to Robbie Savage.

Leeds advanced to the final after crushing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday, May 16, although despite five prior tries, they have never been promoted via the play-offs.

Leeds should return to the Premier League, according to Savage, but there is a “big but” when it comes to the Whites’ chances of making the playoffs, as he stated in The Daily Mirror’s print edition on May 17, page 63.

What is Leeds United’s play-off record?

As a member of the former Second Division, Leeds United participated in the inaugural promotion play-off event in 1987. However, the results of those games have since been responsible for over 40 years of suffering.

A two-leg tie at each team’s home field preceded the final, which was played in a single game at Wembley. In the replay at St. Andrews in Birmingham, the Whites lost 2-1 after the Addicks scored twice in extra time, following a 1-0 loss to Charlton at Selhurst Park and a 1-0 victory at Elland Road.

The remaining play-off heartbreak for the team has occurred in the years following their initial Premier League demotion in 2004. Leeds’ drop to the third division would bring about two more calamities after Watford’s 3-0 thumping of the Whites in the 2006 title match.

After losing to Millwall and Doncaster in the 2008 and 2009 semi-finals, Leeds was forced to spend a third season in League One. In a thrilling semi-final match, nearly ten years after being promoted back to the second division, Marcelo Bielsa’s 2019 team lost to Derby County.

In conclusion, Leeds’ prospects are not good heading into the 2024 championship game against Southampton on May 26, but with promotion expectant Farke leading the charge, perhaps this is the year the Peacocks finally break through.