Hammer Leeds United blow expected with huge backing for rival and major Whites distraction

Daniel Farke’s Whites remain in the Championship’s second automatic place with just one game left but only on goal difference ahead of Ipswich Town who have played one game less. Ipswich’s game in hand now presents itself this evening at Coventry City and the bookmakers confidently expect Kieran McKenna’s side to leave with a positive result which would create a major Whites issue going into Saturday’s final day.

One point or three for the Tractor Boys at Coventry this evening would keep Ipswich’s automatic promotion destiny in their own hands ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s last round of games when McKenna’s side welcome relegation-bound Huddersfield Town.

Leeds take on Southampton at Elland Road but their fate would depend on the distraction of what happens at Ipswich in the event of a draw or win at Coventry tonight, even if Farke’s Whites do manage to beat the Saints.

That is very much the scenario that the bookmakers think Leeds will be looking at based on their odds for tonight’s huge game although the Sky Blues are given a fighting chance of bagging the victory that would put matters back in United’s hands considering their better goal difference.

Coventry sit ninth in the table but with the play-offs now out of reach. The Sky Blues are rated 10-3 shots to beat Ipswich who are a shade of odds-on with every bookmaker in being no bigger than 5-6 but as short as 8-11. The draw is 16-5.

But the market that matters most to Leeds is the ‘double chance’ of either an Ipswich win or a draw which is a strong odds-on shot at 2-7. Either result would leave Farke’s side needing a favour from Huddersfield on the final day and to take care of their own business too.

Ipswich became 1-3 favourites to seal automatic promotion late on Friday night after Leeds completely blew their lines by falling to a 4-0 defeat at QPR. The Whites were then handed something of a lifeline the following night as Ipswich had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Hull City, taking them level on points with Farke’s Whites but still behind them on goal difference.

The bookmakers saw that as a boost for Leeds whose price for a top-two finish went from 3-1 to 11-4 but as short as 9-4 with some firms. The price of Ipswich, meanwhile, drifted but only marginally from 1-3 to 4-11. In short, the Tractor Boys remain strong odds-on favourites to finish second and the oddsmakers expect them to take a huge step towards that goal at Coventry tonight for what would be a hammer blow to Leeds.