Swansea City worst fears could be realised v Leeds United - Derby & Plymouth will be licking their lips | OneFootball

Swansea City could still be drawn into the relegation battle despite their current league position

After their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough on the 8th March, Swansea City supporters could have been forgiven for thinking their Championship status was confirmed for another season, but the last week or so may have changed a few minds.

The Swans went 12 points clear of the drop after the win against Boro, but two consecutive losses against Watford and Burnley respectively means that they're now just six points clear with just eight games remaining.

Of course, a six-point gap to the relegation zone is still a substantial margin, but the fact that their 12-point gap has been halved in just a week will be a real worry for everyone at the club, particularly given their unfavourable circumstances.

Swansea City's worst fears could be realised vs Leeds United

Swansea's first fixture after the international break sees them make the trip to Elland Road to take on league leaders Leeds United - not an ideal game to have when you're in the midst of trying to pull away from the relegation zone.

Playing Leeds away is a tough ask at the best of times, but the off-field situation at Swansea means they could be in for a chastening afternoon at Elland Road, and it's fair to say the club are not in a good place at the moment.

Swansea currently don't have a permanent manager, with interim boss Alan Sheehan tasked with steadying the ship following Luke Williams' departure in the middle of February, and chairman Andy Coleman also departed the club last week, meaning the Swans don't have a chairman or a manager at present.

It goes without saying that those roles are two of the most important at any club, and being without either of them is far from ideal when you're trying to avoid getting dragged into the relegation dogfight.

After two losses on the bounce, Swansea are looking over their shoulders rather than looking up the table like they may have been after their win against Boro, and while they may have a six-point buffer, momentum is key in football and the Swans currently have no momentum.

Clubs below Swansea like Hull, Derby and even Luton have started to pick up points, and it's not unfair to say that they have their house in order now, unlike the Swans, who don't have a manager or a chairman.

Swansea are without key off-field personnel at a crucial moment in their season, and a heavy defeat at Leeds could well start alarm bells ringing if they weren't already before.

Bitter rivals Cardiff were on the receiving end of a 7-0 battering at Leeds last month, and if Swansea were on the receiving end of a similar scoreline, it could leave them seriously bereft of confidence and in trouble at the worst possible stage of the campaign.

Derby County and Plymouth Argyle may be licking their lips ahead of Swansea City clash

Swansea won't be expecting to get anything at Elland Road, but the two games that follow their trip to Leeds could well play an important role in deciding what division they'll be playing in next season.

Derby County and Plymouth Argyle both visit the Swansea.com Stadium in the space of four days, and if Swansea fail to pick up points there, then they're bang in trouble.

On the other hand, should Swansea pick up a minimum of four points from those two games, then they'll probably be fine, so they're two massive games that could define the season.

Derby and Plymouth are clearly two of the worst sides in the league, but with the Rams gaining momentum under John Eustace and Plymouth capable of pulling off surprise wins under Miron Muslic, they could be licking their lips at the chance of travelling to a Swansea side in crisis.

There's a lot of football to be played, and it would still be a surprise if Swansea were to go down, but given their recent form and off-field issues, it's shaping up to be a nervy end to the campaign for the Jack Army.