Barnsley vs Leeds Predictions

Sunday afternoon brings us a huge Yorkshire derby at Oakwell, as Leeds United face Barnsley. The Tykes have only just returned to the second tier, but they are already under pressure following some poor results. Will they be able to turn things around against their rivals, or will Leeds pull off another victory?

Barnsley opened their Championship campaign with a home win over Fulham, but since then they’ve failed to win a match, exiting the Carabao Cup and falling towards danger. They went into this weekend fourth from bottom in the division, leaving the Tykes in need of a victory. However, there’s no side you’d rather avoid in a must-win clash than Leeds.

The visitors are fresh from a defeat, which may have brought some doubts over Leeds’ promotion hopes. However, the manner of their display in that 1-0 loss to Swansea went some way to proving how good Bielsa’s men are. Even in that defeat, they looked good for promotion, so we have plenty of faith in them going into this weekend’s match.

Leeds will be out to prove the gulf between these two sides, having opened up an eight-point gap between them early on. While Barnsley were gaining League One promotion Leeds were pushing for the Premier League, so there’s obviously a gap in quality at play here. Given how Leeds have started the season, we are confident that the visitors are good for three points, while the bookies have them as heavy favourites.

Leeds have won four from six so far, while they’ve been creating chances and keeping it tight at the back. They’ve beaten every bottom half side they’ve met this term without conceding. On top of that, Leeds have kept three straight away clean sheets. When you add in their impressive scoring record, a comfortable win is likely.

Leeds have won by at least two goals in their last four away trips, while Barnsley have lost by two goals in every defeat. Having lost four of their last six, we think the hosts will be shown up here. As a result, Leeds with a -1 handicap is our tip for this encounter.

Leeds should continue their recent string of clean sheets, while we expect them to dominate this clash. We are backing a 3-0 win for Leeds on Sunday, having scored at least two in each of their four away trips so far. Their last game on the road saw them swat aside Stoke, while we’re backing them to continue that form.