A new boost for Leeds United is expected, as well as a significant step forward in the club’s bid for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
Third-placed Leeds won their fifth game in a row with a 3-2 victory over Saturday’s visitors Middlesbrough on a day when the division’s top four all picked up three points. As a result, Daniel Farke‘s side are now eight points behind Championship leaders Leicester City and seven points behind Ipswich Town, who hold the division’s second automatic promotion spot.
Leeds will now play two away games in a row, beginning with a Saturday lunchtime trip to Blackburn Rovers, who are only two points out of the play-offs in seventh place. Leeds, on the other hand, are expected to win again by the bookmakers, who have Farke’s side as short as 8-11 but no bigger than 5-6 to win at Ewood Park.
Victory would close the gap to Ipswich to four points ahead of the Tractor Boys’ trip to Middlesbrough this weekend. Boro and Ipswich will clash at the Riversiders on Saturday afternoon at 3pm, and the bookies expect Michael Carrick’s hosts to beat Ipswich in what would be a significant step forward for Leeds if they also beat Blackburn.
Ipswich are 18 points and ten places higher in the table than Boro, but the Riversiders are favourites with every bookmaker and no more than a 13-10 margin. Ipswich is available at 21-10, while the draw is available at 19-7.Blackburn are as big as 10-3 to beat Leeds at Ewood Park, with 16-5 available about the draw.
Rovers have the division’s leading goalscorer, Sammie Szmodics, but he is only joint sixth favourite to score first at 15-2, the same price as teammate Niall Ennis. Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford of the Whites are joint 9-2 favourites, ahead of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, both 6s, and Willy Gnonto, who is 13-2.
The bookmakers believe fourth-placed Southampton has a good chance of dropping points this weekend as well. The Saints travel to 10th-placed Watford in a Saturday afternoon 3pm kick-off, and Southampton are 11-8 favourites. Watford is a 21-10 favourite, while the draw is a 12-5 underdog.
Leicester, on the other hand, are expected to win again when they host 16th-placed Plymouth Argyle in another Saturday 3pm kick-off. The Foxes are long odds at 2-7 to beat Plymouth, who are 10-1 with a 5-1 chance of a draw.
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