New Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen has claimed that the Championship is the "most competitive" league in world football.

Christiansen will take charge of his first match as Leeds boss away to newly-promoted Bolton Wanderers on Sunday, with the Whites hopeful of launching another playoff bid this season.

However, the former Spain international believes that as many as 14 teams will be going into the campaign with similar ambitions and acknowledged that his side will face stiff opposition in the race for a top-six finish.

"If you're ambitious, you want to do better and this is the signal the club, me as coach, want to give the team - that we have to do better. Of course we know which league we're in and this is probably the most competitive league we have in the world," Christiansen told reporters.

"We have 12 or 14 teams who can mix it up in the top six. Here everything is possible. In other leagues it's not. You can win against the first[-placed team] and you can lose against the last, but this is also what makes this league special.

"I have the whole squad, no injuries, so that's my headache. It will be a very difficult game. Bolton got promoted last season and have their first game at home in front of their fans and will want to make a good performance. We have to go their and try to take the three points and we know what we can expect there and what we have to deliver if we want to win."

Leeds finished seventh in the table last season, five points adrift of the playoff places.