Leeds vs Leicester City tips & Championship predictions
Leeds vs Leicester predictions
Elland Road is the place to be on Friday night when the Championship leaders Leicester City come to town to face an in-form Leeds team in a top of the table showdown (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Despite being nine points clear in first, the Foxes are 13/5 underdogs with football betting sites for this game on the back of last week’s 2-1 home defeat by Middlesbrough - only their fifth loss of the season.
Meanwhile, Daniel Farke’s side have been absolutely flying since the turn of the year and are bidding for a ninth successive victory, something they have not achieved since the 1930s.
Leeds' rock solid defence has been breached just once during their eight-match winning run in 2024 and they are generally evens with most betting sites to repeat their victory at the King Power from the start of November.
A cracking contest between two teams looking to make an immediate return to the Premier League seems inevitable, so let’s look at some of the markets to pick out three Leeds vs Leicester predictions.
Hard to split top two
Georginio Rutter ended Leicester’s nine-game winning run with the only goal of the game when these sides last met less than four months ago to give Leeds a deserved victory, so the question is whether the visitors can end United’s own hot streak.
With Ipswich only behind Leeds on goal difference and Southampton a couple of points adrift, there is a lot riding on this game, which looks a tough one to call.
These teams have the joint-best defences in the division, both sides conceding just 26 times, so potentially another low-scoring affair could be on the cards.
The last five meetings between these teams have produced two goals or fewer and the temptation is to get on board under 2.5 for a sixth at a generally available 21/20.
However, the opposite also has its merits. Leicester have the league's most prolific attack, scoring 69 goals - eight more than Leeds - and they comfortably have the best away record in the division, winning 12 of their 16 games on the road.
The Whites, though, are the only Championship team yet to lose at home this season (W12 D4), so we’ll skip the result market and go for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals, available at 21/20 with BoyleSports.
Enzo Maresca’s side have failed to score just three times this season and only Middlesbrough have kept a clean sheet against them on their travels in all competitions.
Leeds have had an exhausting run of five games in 16 days lately but should be fired up after a week off to recover from Saturday’s 2-0 win at Plymouth and cannot afford too many slip-ups with Southampton and Ipswich breathing down their necks.
To strengthen the goals argument, Leicester also have Kelechi Iheanacho back from his Africa Cup of Nations exertions to bolster an attack already boasting in-form forwards Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka, so an open game under the lights could be the way to go.
Go with Gnonto to grab a goal
Talking of in-form players, Wilfried Gnonto has made the most of Dan James’ recent injury to establish himself as a starter on the right wing with some excellent performances.
Gnonto has scored five goals in as many games in February, including the opener in both FA Cup and Championship wins at Plymouth, plus the only goal at Bristol City.
The tricky winger is likely to get the nod ahead of fit-again James and he’s a best-price of 8/1 with gambling sites to get the first goal of the contest.
However, we’ll keep it simple and take the 3/1 with BetVictor in the anytime scorer market.
Yellow nod for Winks
Leeds have received the fewest cards in the Championship this season (48 yellows, two reds) and although Leicester are hardly renowned for their ill-discipline, this match has the potential to be a tetchy affair.
Rutter is the second most fouled player in the Championship and that could spell bad news for City’s holding midfielder Harry Winks, who will have the French striker in his eyeline.
Winks has committed more fouls than any other Leicester player this season (38 from 32 starts) and is the joint-sixth most booked player in the division, so all the signs are pointing towards yellow fever.
Premier League referee Craig Pawson has been called in to officiate, and having brandished an average of 5.22 yellow cards in his last nine matches, there’s a chance he gets card-happy at a noisy Elland Road.
Examining the prices on betting apps, Winks to be cautioned looks a possibility.
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Warren Barner is an experienced sports journalist who has spent the last few years writing for Ladbrokes, Coral, Bwin and PokerStars/BetStars. He covers football, tennis and golf and is a lifelong York City fan.
