Realistic Leeds United target, Leicester City prediction and run-in advantage: David Prutton

Form-wise, if you're coming into it having won every single game in 2024 then you are pretty bang at it. The fact that Leicester were beaten last weekend at home to Middlesbrough shows that there is a way of getting about them.

But you cannot deny what Leicester have done so far and the fact that they are still nine points clear. The gap can be cut to six points with a win for Leeds but consistently from minute one the best side has been Leicester although it feels like 2024 so far has belonged to Leeds.

I have been leaning heavily on the game being a draw in my predictions as the safe bet! Leicester can attack at will but the strength in depth at Leeds and the form that they are in is an absolute joy to see and behold so it's hard to pick a winner between the two of them.

But a huge part of what could potentially favour Leeds come the end of the season is that crowd which could be an advantage for them. They never need building up and this is definitely the type of game for which a fan does not need reminding of how big it is and what it could mean and what part they need to play in the overall thing. The fact that it is on a Friday night just adds that little bit of magic that comes with a bumper Elland Road under the lights and it's going to be absolutely fantastic.

If the gap becomes six points then absolutely Leeds can still win the title. Of course. That would then put them in a position where it is not insurmountable at all and it becomes a very realistic target I think given what we've seen from them and what we know they are capable of. It is absolutely still within their grasp and that has been said before in this column even when Leicester were further ahead.

After those back to back to defeats at Christmas it was all looking a little bit different but it is absolutely on and it's a great position to be in chasing down chasing down the leaders. And maybe Leeds would prefer to do their fighting in the second half of the season and the third of the season and go after Leicester given the side that Leeds are with regards to being a little slower out of the blocks.

The game will be a really key test of several positions across the pitch. You look at how well Leeds have done and their ability to move players into different positions. Leicester need to react off the back of what we saw from them against Boro.

But this Leicester team has got the likes of Abdul Fatawu, Stephy Mavididi and Patson Daka up top and then Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Harry Winks who are fantastic in midfield. Then they can bring the likes of Kasey McAteer and Jamie Vardy who came off the bench against Middlesbrough. That all shows that they have got ridiculous strength in depth, as have Leeds who we saw once again go up against Plymouth last weekend.

I thought they were once again superb without needing to be really stretched. Mavididi up against Archie Gray feels like a potentially key battle given the ability of both players on the ball and the types of season they are having.

Defensively Leeds are going to be really tested and they are going to need Joe Rodon absolutely bang at it and midfield is going to be a really key area I think - the ability of Dewsbury-Hall to get beyond the defence and the last man and Leeds needing that ability to be able to track him.

But Leeds have got Willy Gnonto, Joel Piroe, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all in form and then you have got the likes of Dan James back fit too. Just look at the players that Leeds were able to bring on to the pitch from the bench at Plymouth These are two very very deep squads that have a lot of ability and they are squads that are quite rightly where they are given the form of Southampton and Ipswich. The key battles are all over the pitch and ones that we should be really, really looking forward to.

The gap would become 12 points with a Leicester win and their form has generally been great throughout the season. They have not really slipped up so far. Yes, they were beaten last weekend by Boro but Boro are a very experienced Championship outfit.

It's not like it was a massive cup upset between two teams in different divisions. It's a result that can happen in the Championship. So from that point of view I don't think that 12 points would mean that they would be home and hosed.

As long as there are matches on Leeds' side then you have still got to hope that there may be a potential slip up in there from someone in terms of chasing the championship title. But of course this is all about automatic promotion and I would say Ipswich and Southampton are now equal dangers with all four of these sides battling it out for those two spots.

Ipswich once again showed a wonderful resilience in midweek to win against a Rotherham side that are fighting for their lives. Ipswich are not going away anywhere. Southampton have lost two of their last three just when we thought they were cooking after going 23 games unbeaten. It goes to show that a week in the Championship can be a very long time and the race is very much alive

We are talking about Leeds catching Leicester but Ipswich are on the same points as Leeds and Southampton are only two points behind them. If I say that Leeds can catch Leicester then it's sure as hell that the others can catch them as well.