Charlton Athletic v Leeds United: United chief Grayson prepared to take fight down to the wire

The Elland Road club have an outside chance of clinching automatic promotion with victory at Charlton Athletic.

Millwall, who trail Leeds by a point with two games to go, would then have to lose at Tranmere Rovers for Grayson's side to go up.

If the Lions win, however, it will mean United having to also claim all three points at The Valley to ensure they go into the final day of the season with promotion still in their own hands.

The alternative is possibly being condemned to the play-offs, where the Yorkshire club have a shocking record that includes heart-breaking defeats in three of the last four seasons.

Grayson said: "We are not thinking about the play-offs. Instead, our focus is on winning our last two games and sealing promotion.

"I am not too bothered about what is happening at Prenton Park because that will take care of itself. We can't affect anything that happens there.

"We have to be totally focused on what we have to do as a team.

"But if we don't win automatic promotion, I would certainly be very confident that we could go up through the play-offs, regardless of our history."

With Charlton, Swindon Town and Huddersfield still harbouring outside chances of clinching second place behind champions Norwich City, the final eight days of the season have the potential to be a thrilling affair.

Grayson would, ideally, love to wrap up automatic promotion today but he is enough of a realist to know that the fight is likely to go to the last weekend when United host Bristol Rovers and Swindon travel to Millwall.

He said: "Charlton is a big game. There is no getting away from the significance of it.

"Hopefully, we can win and the other results go our way. But I am not going into the game thinking this is going to be the be all and end all for our season.

"I feel deep down that results will go against us and it will go down to our home game against Bristol Rovers next week."

Asked why he was not planning on keeping in touch with events at Tranmere, Grayson added: "If results are going our way our fans might let us know what is happening.

"We have got to be focused on what we have to do. Our destiny is in our own hands. We are not relying on other results. If we win our two games, we will be promoted."

One possible boost for Leeds today is that Charlton's star player, Jonjo Shelvey, is not expected to feature following the midweek deal struck between the Londoners and Liverpool for the 18-year-old.

The England Youth international, who missed last weekend's game at Exeter with what was described as a "virus", will move to Anfield in the summer and Phil Parkinson has revealed the Addicks board do not want to put the 3m transfer at risk.