Championship experts warn of potential ‘slip-up’ in Leeds United vs Portsmouth score prediction as ‘unique’ threat looms

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Leeds United travel down to Hampshire on Sunday lunchtime to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park, knowing that their lead over third place could be down to just two points by the time they kick off.

The Whites are looking to build on a flawless, award-winning February, with Daniel Farke and Dan James picking up the Championship’s Manager and Player of the Month awards this week.

Leeds are still at the top of the league, but victories for the Blades and Burnley following Leeds’ dropped points against the Baggies means the chasers stay in the hunt for top spot, and the gap to third place could be closed by the time Leeds get underway at Fratton Park on Sunday.

They face a Portsmouth team who endured a difficult start to life back in the Championship, but one who have since proved their worth to the division with a series of impressive results, and Leeds must tread carefully ahead of the game.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
13	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	35	12	9	14	47	56	-9	45
14	QPRQPR	35	11	11	13	41	45	-4	44
15	PrestonPreston	35	9	16	10	36	41	-5	43
16	SwanseaSwansea	35	11	8	16	37	46	-9	41
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	35	10	9	16	43	57	-14	39
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	35	9	11	15	36	52	-16	38
19	Hull CityHull City	35	9	9	17	35	44	-9	36
20	Stoke CityStoke City	35	8	12	15	34	47	-13	36
21	CardiffCardiff	35	8	12	15	38	57	-19	36

John Mousinho’s side suffered a slight setback in their recent 1-0 defeat to Luton Town, though they have caused a threat to several teams at the top end of the table and they are closing in on safety.

• READ MORE: Championship fans decide which three clubs will be relegated this season

Leeds have to come through tough test against Portsmouth

Portsmouth sit eight points clear of the bottom three and can be confident of earning a place in the Championship for next season, but the job isn’t finished yet and they will be hoping to cause somewhat of an upset as they did during the 3-3 draw at Elland Road on opening day.

Leeds know that promotion is in their hands, but Farke will be well aware of the threat of Pompey, especially at home. Mousinho’s men are 11th in the league for home points, having taken the second-highest proportion (29/39) of their overall points total in the league behind Oxford United (29/38).

Speaking via the Championship check-in podcast, Benjamin Bloom and EFL pundit Sam Parkin have had their say on how the game will unravel on Sunday.

Bloom said: “A fixture that’s not overly straightforward for Leeds. [Portsmouth] are a bit unique for the Championship this season, they get in between you, get the ball in the box, they’re really good at home.

“If there is going to be a Leeds slip-up, it could possibly come in here. But, I feel they will have enough possession and goal threat to score twice here; that’ll be enough to win the game.

“I will be backing Leeds, they’ll have had a full week of team training, so I’ll go 2-1 to Leeds.”

Parkin responded: “I don’t think Leeds will slip up here. A couple of weeks ago maybe, but Portsmouth are down to two centre-halves now. Marlon Pack played there the other week.

“They’re down in numbers – really bad injury issues. They’ve got a good cushion ahead of relegation like seven of eight points, so no immediate concern. “But now, all of a sudden, this game isn’t maybe as daunting for Leeds as it could have been.

“They’ve got QPR and Millwall to come in the next couple of weeks, too, but with Leeds’ power, I expect them to get a return from those games. I’ll go 2-0 to Leeds.”

• READ MORE: How much Championship title is worth as Leeds United and Sheffield United chase Premier League prize fund

Leeds United will hope for comfortable end to Championship season

There is so much positivity surrounding Elland Road right now and that can’t be forgotten ahead of a trip to face a side battling against relegation. Especially as Fratton Park can be one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the Championship.

Promotion remains in the hands of Leeds, though one slip up could open the door to those below them heading into the latter stages of the season, which they will be desperate to avoid.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	35	22	10	3	72	22	50	76
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	35	23	6	6	50	27	23	73
3	BurnleyBurnley	35	19	14	2	45	10	35	71
4	SunderlandSunderland	35	18	11	6	52	32	20	65
5	CoventryCoventry	35	15	8	12	49	44	5	53
6	West BromWest Brom	35	12	16	7	45	32	13	52

Pascal Struijk has called for more Leeds control in the final 11 games of the campaign, while a quick promotion could also see Leeds push ahead with their transfer plans to better prepare for top-flight football.

That includes Leeds’ interest in Lennon Miller of Motherwell, with a host of other sides in the race for the highly-rated young Scottish starlet.