Will Leeds End Premier League Exile?

Leeds have laid down a strong platform to make their return to the Premier League after a 15-year exile. The club have endured a tumultuous first season with Marcelo Bielsa in the dugout, with a number of last-minute goals along with the ‘spygate’ scandal. However, the Argentine has come the closest to delivering the Whites back to the top tier of English football since their relegation in 2004.

Bielsa’s men have been in the top three all season, highlighting their consistency since August. The Championship is one of the hardest leagues to predict in the world, proven by Stoke’s struggles this term, who were widely regarded as front runners for the title. Leeds’ defeat to Sheffield United at Elland Road has blown open the battle for second place, allowing Norwich City an opportunity to establish a lead at the top of the table.

The White and Sheffield United are stride for stride in the battle for second place in the table. The odds did favour Leeds for promotion at the start of the season but, unlike their other rivals at the time such as Stoke, they’ve managed to sustain their charge. They’re odds-on to win promotion to the Premier League in the 4/7 range in the Championship betting markets, with the Blades creeping ahead of them at 1/3 in the betting odds to reach the top tier after their triumph. Bielsa’s men’s best price of 7/4 to triumph in the race for pole position in the Championship reflects that there is still work to do to close out the term and a lot can occur in the remaining eight matches.

Who are the favourites for the championship?

Norwich are the favourites for the Championship crown at 10/11 among the leading bookmakers, while Sheffield United are the outsiders with value at odds as high as 8/1. Leeds and the Blades have the most intriguing price for the crown, therefore, it’s worth monitoring their prices and using the best betting sign up offers to acquire value for backing Bielsa’s men or Sheffield United for the title. However, Leeds have bounced back before and the crux of their campaign will rest on their matches at Elland Road against Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa. The two teams have the potential to knock the Whites off their charge like the Blades did before them. Bielsa has work ahead of him to get his team back on track even if it has improved their value in the betting odds in the division for punters.

Leeds have suffered four defeats at Elland Road this term and they will need to remain imperious. Hull, Birmingham and Norwich were the only sides before Sheffield United to knock them off-course. Bielsa’s men have used momentum in the past to move into position but it also affected them in a negative way as well, which is worth bearing in mind for punters. Between the end of December and the beginning of February, the Whites lost four out of six matches. As a result, they surrendered a five-point lead over third place, which brought them back into the pack of teams chasing promotion.

The momentum has also seen them rise to the top and recover their position. At the start of the campaign, the club began with an eight-match unbeaten run. Bielsa’s men were stymied for a time before reeling off seven victories in a row before their bad patch at the end of last year and the start of 2019. Leeds have hit a good run of form since their humbling defeat to Norwich, losing one of their last seven matches. Bielsa and hopeful punters will be hoping that Leeds can sustain that standard until the final day of the season, earning a return to the Premier League.