Leeds United have eight games to play and Daniel Farke amits he might have to adjust his points target
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
05:00, 21 Mar 2026
Daniel Farke has set out his mindset for the final eight games of the season
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Daniel Farke has set out his mindset for the final eight games of the season(Image: Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Eight points in eight games. That's the task Daniel Farke has laid out before his Leeds United players as they look to join Sunderland in doing something none of the past six promoted Premier League clubs have done - stay up.
At the start of the season, Farke outlined that the aim was to earn a point-per-game average. Indeed 38 points would have been enough to see a team finish above the dotted line in each of the past 15 seasons.
However, Farke admits his points target might ultimately need to be slightly revised. “I think we need to win at least six more points - 38 was more or less our crossbar, it could even be that we need one or two points more,” he said.
Recent bad luck with red cards and controversial referee decisions coupled with the strength of the relegation battle this season has kept Leeds chained to danger. West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur have all displayed bouts of resurgence in recent weeks.
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Tonight’s match against Brentford, though, is a chance for Leeds to respond and heap pressure on their three relegation rivals, who all play tomorrow, with Spurs and Forest facing off in a six-pointer. A draw or a defeat for Leeds might do the opposite - though Farke disagrees.
“We have pressure each game day. I wouldn't say that other teams have less pressure if we just draw or lose a game - each of the teams on this level has pressure,” he opined.
“You have to concentrate on your own performance, and if you do and if you deliver, then you can celebrate. We are just focusing on ourselves. If other teams handle it in a different way, maybe, but I don't think it [tonight’s result] will affect them much.”
To say Leeds’ six-game winless league run is down to bad luck alone is false. Leeds have failed to score in their last three matches and have gained just one point having squandered gaping chances.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League with 10 goals but he has wasted two glorious chances in this period, putting a one-on-one wide in the 1-0 loss to Manchester City before missing a penalty in the goalless draw at Palace.
It’s not just him. All of Leeds’ attackers are recording a negative xG, meaning they have scored fewer goals than they ought to have.
And while many outsiders are confident that Leeds have enough to stay up, fans are pointing to the fact that just one win has been secured in their last eight league matches. Leeds, right now, are drawing their way to safety with no other team in the bottom half tying more games (11).
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Draws are better than defeats but nothing can beat three points at this stage of the season. What happens tonight could dictate the sense of pressure surrounding Leeds heading into the international break ahead of the final run-in.
Farke explained: “This game against Brentford and then the Man United game [on April 13, the next Premier League game] is where we can ease the pressure a little bit for the crunch time.
“For me, the crunch-time period is always after the last international break, the last six game days. This is more or less when you have to deliver.”