Pundit View: Ray Parlour gives verdict on unpredictable Championship play-offs

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Former Arsenal midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Ray Parlour has given his prediction on whether or not Leeds can win the Championship playoffs which are set to commence on May 11.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate podcast (May 1, 47:00), Parlour struggled to decide on who would secure the third promotion spot, but he eventually settled on a choice.

What’s been said then?

The former England international backed Aston Villa ahead of Leeds United to secure a spot in the Premier League next year, stating their recent run of form as the catalyst for a successful playoff run.

Villa and Leeds met just last week in a game shrouded in controversy that ended 1-1.

Despite the Clarets not beating the Yorkshire club this season Parlour believes that they will get the better of them in the post-season.

Parlour said: “Momentum is with Villa. They’ve finished this season the best, so I think Villa could be the ones who go up this year, but again there are four top seed teams in there so it could go either way.”

Tough to call

The pundit was largely on the fence before being forced into making a decision on who would win the playoffs.

Parlour, in the end, picked Aston Villa but he didn’t sound wholly convinced that he was making the right call.

Jermaine Pennant was also a guest on the podcast and he found it hard to choose between the Whites and the Villans, but he eventually chose Leeds stating that he couldn’t pick Dean Smith’s side due to his affinity with Birmingham City.

It really is impossible to call these post-season matches; the Whites have been on an awful run whilst the Midlands outfit seem to improve every week.

It most likely will be between one of those two clubs, but it is difficult to confidently say which of the sides will be triumphant at Wembley come the end of May.