Huge Leeds United confidence with big change expected in autos landscape and title race picture

Daniel Farke’s Whites have soared into the Championship’s second automatic promotion place and within nine points of leaders Leicester City who visit Elland Road in a mouth-watering 8pm kick-off on Friday night.

Enzo Maresca’s side remain strong odds on favourites to win the division but the bookmakers firmly expect Leeds to record a ninth consecutive league victory against the Foxes to create big changes in both the automatics landscape and title race equation.

A Whites win would cut the gap to Leicester to just six points with 12 games left and Farke’s side are odds-on with some firms to beat the Foxes. As part of huge Whites confidence from the bookies, most firms are going even money about Leeds who are no bigger than 21-20.

Leicester can be backed at just short of 3-1 to leave Elland Road with all three points at 13-5 whilst even the draw is available at 5-2. A Whites triumph would also lead to another big automatics change in putting Farke’s side three points clear in second spot ahead of Ipswich Town who currently sit third on goal difference.

But both Ipswich and fourth-placed Southampton are in action in Saturday 3pm kick-offs and both sides are expected to record victories to leave the state of play as it is now but with United three points closer to Leicester. Ipswich are rated the most likely of the two teams to slip up but Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys are still firmly expected to beat 15th-placed visitors Birmingham City.

Ipswich are hovering around the 1-2 marker at a best priced 8-15 whereas Birmingham can be backed at 5s. The draw is on offer 7-2. Southampton, meanwhile, face fourth-bottom Millwall at St Mary’s and are very confidently predicted to bounce back from Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss at home to Hull City. Russell Martin’s Saints are 1-3 with some firms but no bigger than 4-11. Millwall can be backed at 8-1 and the draw is on offer at 17-4.