When things do change, Leeds United hopes to have already been promoted.
If the Championship is represented in the FA Cup final, Leeds United may have a “emergency plan” in place and their potential play-off final date changed at short notice.
The FA Cup final is set for Saturday, May 25, just 24 hours before the scheduled May 26 Championship play-off final—a problem that Leeds supporters somewhat ridiculed prior to the team’s 3-2 loss at Chelsea last month. The prospect of a lower-division team reaching the championship game was not given much thought when scheduling the dates, but it is now a genuine possibility.
This weekend’s quarterfinals will feature Leicester City and Coventry City taking on Chelsea and Wolves, respectively. Even though the remaining six teams are all in the Premier League, it would only take two unexpected victories for either team to completely ruin the current schedule.
According to The Mirror, preparations are made in case this happens, and Coventry and Leicester could both be selected for the Championship play-offs. Leicester’s lead over Leeds has shrunk to just three points, and they are now only four points ahead of Ipswich Town. Meanwhile, Coventry is fighting for sixth place.
The match that would need to be changed would be the play-off final, which might have an impact on Leeds if they don’t win automatic promotion. It is not out of the question because Daniel Farke’s team is currently battling it out with four other teams for two spots.
The report also states that because the Champions League final will take place at Wembley on Saturday, June 1, it is becoming more and more difficult to find a potential new date for the play-off final this year. The FA will no longer be able to cram in any of their own matches after that final, as they must effectively turn over the stadium to UEFA.
The report makes no mention of dates, but if either Leicester or Coventry advances to the semi-finals, the problem will probably come up again and there will be demands for the FA to provide an explanation. Of course, Leeds can avoid any possible problems by holding onto their top-two position. In their 12-game unbeaten streak, Daniel Farke’s team has won 11 of them. If they defeat Millwall by two goals or more on Sunday, they could even take the top spot.
