Expect Leeds to continue playoff push by beating Barnsley
Neil Warnock's men should have more than enough quality to edge out the Tykes in an entertaining Yorkshire derby at Elland Road.
As takeover talk occupies the minds of Leeds United fans, a potential change of ownership also appears to have had a positive effect on the pitch, with Neil Warnock’s side unbeaten since GFH rocked up at Elland Road.
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Included in that run were Championship wins over Nottingham Forest and Bristol City, which were sandwiched by a famous Capital One Cup triumph against Everton.
Warnock described it as one of his “best weeks in football” (he’s had nearly 20,000 of them across 13 clubs!) and a home game against unpredictable Barnsley on Saturday offers a great chance to continue that form.
The home side are 3/4 in bwin’s 3Way football betting market, with a surprise Barnsley away win at 7/2 and the draw at 23/10.
| Primera Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levante | 1-1 | Rayo Vallecano | £120.00 | (5/1) |
| Levante | 1-0 | Rayo Vallecano | £165.00 | (29/4) |
| Levante | 2-1 | Rayo Vallecano | £180.00 | (8/1) |
| Levante win | £49.00 | (29/20) | ||
| Draw | £66.00 | (23/10) | ||
| Rayo Vallecano win | £56.00 | (9/5) | ||
Surprising is a mild way to describe the Tykes’ last away performance as they blew Birmingham away 5-0 in the biggest Championship road win since the Blues were on the better side of a 6-0 result at Millwall back in January.
While even Keith Hill himself would consider a repeat of the St Andrews success far-fetched, a Barnsley win in a game of over 3.5 goals is worth considering at 12/1 judging by the way both teams have been scoring this season.
Both teams have played nine league games and a total of 59 goals have been scored across those fixtures at an average of 3.3, with Leeds’ matches accounting for 33 of them and Barnsley’s providing 26.
Unfortunately for Hill, aside from their drubbing of Birmingham, Barnsley have always come up on the wrong side of entertaining away matches and it’s fair to expect some swings in this game.
Leeds can be expected to succeed where Lee Clark’s men failed spectacularly and the 3/4 on a home win is good enough, but there are a couple of approaches to backing them which could prove more profitable.
The Whites have particularly excelled in second halves, where 60% of their goals have been scored, so it’s worth backing Warnock’s men to grab more goals after the break than before it at 27/20.
Along the same lines, a price of 4/1 for the home side to put away Barnsley after being level at the interval looks particularly tempting.
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In fairness, Leeds threw away a midweek lead at Bolton and in the tense atmosphere of a Yorkshire derby, it wouldn’t be that shocking for their young side to do so again.
Barnsley even managed to overturn a Ross McCormack goal to claim a 2-1 win in this fixture last season and it’s 13/1 for a repeat scoreline.
However, I have a feeling Warnock’s feel-good spell will continue as his team deliver a win which could well see them sitting pretty in the play-off positions come 5pm on Saturday.
Recommended bet: Leeds to beat Barnsley @ 3/4
Outside punt: Leeds to score more goals in second half than first @ 27/20
Long shot: Leeds to win after drawn first half @ 4/1
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