Former Leeds United midfielder David Prutton insists that the Whites shouldn't panic, although they need to be aware of how quickly things can change in football.

Marcelo Bielsa's side boast a five-point lead over third-placed Brentford after the Bees beat West Brom last night and that could be cut to four points if Fulham win at Elland Road this afternoon.

If that was to happen, Prutton acknowledged it would be a major worry for the more pessimistic supporters considering what happened last year, and he warned in his Yorkshire Evening Post column that the short spurt of games means the table could change very quickly.

"On the one hand you think they would do well to chuck that away but on the flip side we could be sitting here in 10 days’ time and it could be totally different given how small this little window is and how quick the games are going to come up.

"Leeds have got to be very wary of how quickly teams can catch up and this is where the pressure comes into it and it’s a different type of pressure now."

The Yorkshire outfit fell to a 2-0 defeat to Cardiff on their return to action last week.

The verdict

There's no getting away from the fact that this is a massive game for Leeds today. If they win, there's no realistic way Fulham will catch them and an eight point lead over Brentford with seven to play would be significant.

The players will know that but even if they do lose, they will still be in a great position. Of course, the fans will panic after what happened last season, which is understandable but there does need to be a calm outlook even if it's hard.

Ultimately, it's down to the players to do the job on the pitch and even though they lost to Cardiff last week, the performance level was high so there's no reason for Leeds fans to be fearful about today's game or the run-in.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.