Gary O'Neil believes Leeds United may suffer as a result of playing behind closed doors when the Championship resumes - but he is still backing them for promotion to the Premier League.
The Championship season will resume on Saturday, June 20, with live coverage on Sky of Brentford’s London derby against Fulham.
That game will be followed by title-chasing West Brom taking on Birmingham City in the 3pm televised slot.
A day later, and United kick-off their campaign when they travel to tackle Cardiff City.
The Whites are seven points clear of third-placed Fulham in the race for promotion with just nine games left to play.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side also hold a one point advantage over fellow promotion chasers West Brom at the top of the table.
Leeds' remaining fixtures, which were released on Monday, appear to be the easiest on paper, but as Whites fans know, that means nothing in the final weeks of the season.
However, O’Neil feels that both the Whites and Albion will be too strong for the chasing pack and will secure a return to the top-flight.
He told Sky Sports: “I think so. We saw that wobble quite a bit earlier on in the season, didn’t we?
“It seemed to give the rest a chance, but the chasing teams didn’t really take that opportunity.
“Fulham didn’t take advantage of it and West Brom and Leeds have managed to build that gap again.
“It will be interesting to see how they come back from this little break they had. Especially going to Leeds with no fans in the stadium may be easier for teams, because it is quite a hostile place.
“Whereas Fulham doesn't have that feel anyway. When you go to Craven Cottage it is always a friendly and nice place. So it may be a slight advantage in it for Fulham.
“But I would be very,very surprised if the top two don’t go straight up.”
