On Friday night in Sheffield, two of Yorkshire’s biggest clubs go head to head in what should be a fantastic local derby. Both Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United have a rich history behind them, and both have ambitions to get back into the Premier League, they feel they belong in the top flight of English football, and you couldn’t really argue with them. These two don’t like each other, and we have seen some great battles over the years between them so let’s hope we see another on Friday.

Alongside being local rivals, I think their dislike for each other is heightened by the fact that they see a lot of each other in the other one. Both clubs have had big success in the past domestically, both are ex-Premier League teams and both want to be back there. Each has their own die hard following that will support the team all over the country, and both think that the Premier League is where they belong. It is these similarities that make these two dislike each other even more for me, this is more than a local rivalry, and hopefully we get a game to match this on the pitch.

Wednesday Face Struggle from Improving United for Sheffield Bragging Rights

While the whole of Yorkshire goes head to head to find out who is the biggest and best club in the region, there is also a big battle taking place in Sheffield right now, to see who dominates the city. For the past few years, Sheffield Wednesday have been aiming for Premier League promotion while United have been in League One, but things are changing.

Sheffield United had their first season back in the Championship last season and they performed very well, far better than many people expected them to. They have added to their squad over the summer and made some very good moves to give them a team that should comfortably finish in the top half of the table. Right now they are on a good run, and above Wednesday in the table.

This season could be the one where United not only challenge, but overtake Sheffield Wednesday by finishing above them and have the foundations in place thanks to the good signings they have made over the summer. Both Sheffield clubs look set to have very good seasons and it would be no surprise to see them both challenging for the playoffs when we get to the end of the campaign. Do United have enough to takeover the city from Sheffield Wednesday? There doesn’t appear to be much between them at the moment.

Will Leeds United Ever Make it Back to the Premier League?

If the passes to the Premier League were given out to clubs who have the best away followings, or the most passionate fans, or based on past success then Leeds United would certainly be in the top flight. Everything about the club shows that they are a top team, and one who deserves to be in the top flight but one key thing is missing. That is the ability to get promoted from the toughest league in the world, the Championship, and get themselves back to the league where there fans think they belong.

Leeds have never actually being inches away from promotion, they have shown they have the ability to go close, but they have never actually being unlucky during their quest. Right now, going into this weekend they sit at the top of the league, and they are saying to the rest of the league, catch me if you can. There is no doubting that Leeds got off to an electric start, something they are now using to maintain their lead after what has been a poor run over the last couple of weeks.

Despite staying at the top, Leeds have not been at their best, certainly not as good as they were at the start of the season and they have won just one of their last four games. Compare that to their start, when they picked up four wins and a draw from their first five games and you can see the difference. They gap they had over the chasing pack has now gone, and five teams are within two points of them at the top of the table, including Middlesbrough who are second behind them but level on points.

There will always be a lot of talk and hype around Leeds United but that is all based around their past exploits and their fantastic support. The fact is that they have never really pushed and come close to getting back into the Premier Leauge, they may have their time soon, but they only have the same chance as many other clubs in the Championship. Getting out of the league is tough, which is why it is known as one of the toughest leagues in Europe.

Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds Betting Tips

This should be a very good game to watch, with two good teams going head to head and a lot at stake in both the league standings and as far as personal pride goes. Both sets of fans will have been looking forward to this one all week, and you can expect to see them descend on Hillsborough in huge numbers.

While Leeds are top of the Championship right now, a place they will want to remain, they are not playing the same level of football as we saw at the start of the season. Sheffield Wednesday have done the opposite, they started poorly but they are playing better now. One win from their opening four was not good enough for Wednesday, but three wins from their last five have helped to turn things around.

I think they can build on that further by picking up a huge three points at home on Friday night, and I will be backing Sheffield Wednesday to land a big victory here. Leeds have to be respected as an opponent despite their recent dip in form because we have seen them perform well throughout the season. However, there is a lot to like about what Wednesday have done over the past few weeks to make things right after a poor start.

With little to choose between them on paper, I will side with the team that are currently in the best form and that is Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls have many big games to play throughout the season and this is certainly one of them so they will be looking for support from their loyal fans as they look to claim a valuable three points from rivals Leeds.

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