Leeds United v Barnsley: Big Match Preview including Tykes key men and how Huddersfield Town could help Whites seal promotion

Leeds will line up for the Yorkshire derby sat top of the Championship and with their automatic promotion destiny set to be decided by next Wednesday evening at the latest, if not before.

KEY DETAILS

Date: Tonight

Time: 5pm

Competition: Sky Bet Championship

Venue: Elland Road (behind closed doors)

Odds (best available): Leeds win - 1-3; Draw - 19-4; Barnsley win - 11-1

LAST TIME AT ELLAND ROAD

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Championship

Leeds United 2 Barnsley 1. Goals: Leeds - Pearce (17), Alioski (50); Barnsley - O'Connor (og 36)

KEY BATTLE - BEN WHITE V ALEX MOWATT

Whites Academy graduate Mowatt looked destined for great things at Leeds but ultimately left for Barnsley in January 2017 and the 25-year-old midfielder has weighed in with eight assists and three goals this season, despite the Tykes being bottom of the division and three points from safety.

Mowatt will be naturally keen to impress against his former employers and Leeds will be without star man Kalvin Phillips in the midfield holding role with Phillips out with a knee injury. Brighton loanee Ben White will instead step forward from centre-back into Phillips' role and his battle with the creative Mowatt will likely be key.

BARNSLEY KEY MAN - MICHAEL SOLLBAUER

United look certain to create a host of chances against the Tykes and if Barnsley are to take anything at all from the contest then they will need to excel in defence.

But Gerhard Struber's side have kept three clean sheets in their last five games - albeit also walloped 4-0 at Stoke City - and 30-year-old Austrian Sollbauer is a key man at the heart of their defence.

The six-foot-one centre-back joined the Tykes from Struber's former side Wolfsberger in January having played 238 games in Austria's top flight and captained Wolfsberger in the Europa League and the new recruit has definitely improved Barnsley defensively.

LEE SOBOT'S VERDICT

Tonight's clash has to be seen as Leeds United's biggest game for 14 years with United not this close to the Premier League since the Championship play-off final against Watford of May 2006 which ultimately ended in a 3-0 defeat.

But 14 years later, Leeds know that a maximum of four points from their final three games will finally seal a return to the Premier League via automatic promotion and United will be promoted on Friday evening if beating the Tykes should West Brom fail to win at Huddersfield Town on Friday evening.

Bottom of the table Barnsley will be scrapping for their lives and United's recent 1-1 draw at home to Luton Town is a clear example of the frustrations which can be felt.

But this could effectively be Premier League against League One and even without the injured Kalvin Phillips, Leeds ought to be a different class to ensure the champagne is put on ice and possibly even cracked open on Friday night.