Bookies have made their minds up on Leeds getting promoted
Leeds United are the overwhelming favourites to kick on and secure promotion, which would see them back in the top flight after 16 years in the wilderness.
The biggest threat seemed to be the Coronavirus but it now looks like the Premier League and the EFL have found a way to move forward.
The Championship campaign starts a week on Saturday and it means that focus can now turn back to the pitch.
That’s obviously great news but for Leeds fans it means the return of the nerves.
Leeds might be seven points clear of Fulham in third but there are nine games left and anything could happen.
But will it?
We don’t want to tempt fate but Brentford manager Thomas Frank has already conceded that the top two is a step too far for his side.
Talking on The Football Show (Sky Sports, June 3, 10am), he said, “We’re 11 points off with nine games left. We’d need to play nine perfect games… So, of course, we’ll go for it, but most likely we want to stay in the play-offs.”
That means it’s just Fulham who can realistically stop us.
And the bookies have already made their minds up. Some aren’t offering prices. Two of the UK’s leading bookies have made Leeds 1/66 to get promoted.
If you’re not familiar with how odds work, that means you would have to bet £66 to win £1. Or, that if Leeds played the remaining games 67 times, they would only stay in the Championship once.
It’s as much of a stick-on as you can get without the market being suspended. And we hope that happens after the first two games back.
West Brom are expected to join Leeds – their odds are 1/16 – with Brentford, surprisingly, the nearest rivals at 5/4. Fulham are 13/8 to go up.
Those odds obviously take in Fulham’s fixtures, which are harder than their promotion rivals. One of these tough games is against Leeds – the second game back for the Whites.
We can’t celebrate until it’s mathematically certain – we’ve been through too much for that – but this should, hopefully, steady the nerves.
In other Leeds United news, First fixtures, pre-restart friendlies and season-ending vote – crunch time for Leeds United