Former Leeds United star Noel Whelan has conceded he is worried about the prospect of potentially facing Aston Villa in the Championship playoffs.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men were handed a huge blow in the race for automatic promotion after they slipped to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford at Griffin Park on Easter Monday.




The defeat at Brentford, coupled with Sheffield United’s impressive away win over Hull City, now means the Whites have slipped to third in the league table with just two games remaining before the playoffs.

Leeds are now looking at a tough task when it comes to finishing in the top two and many Whites fans are already thinking about the playoffs.
 


Aston Villa have hit a superb run of form and Whelan has admitted he would be concerned about playing Dean Smith's men in the playoffs.

The former White admitted Aston Villa look like a juggernaut that cannot be stopped after making it ten wins in a row against Millwall on Monday and stressed Leeds must find a way to recapture their confidence.
 

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“You want to be going in [to the playoffs] with momentum; look at Aston Villa now, just steamrolling through the whole Championship at the minute”, Whelan said after the Brentford game on BBC Radio Leeds.

“They are a juggernaut that can't be stopped.

"I do worry about them.

“But we've got to find some kind of fight, we've got to find that confidence, that belief again and that style of play which was absolutely ripping teams to bits.”

Leeds secured a dramatic late win over Aston Villa in an entertaining 3-2 victory at Villa Park during the reverse fixture between the sides in the Championship and will meet Villa again in the league this coming Sunday.