Will Ipswich Town bully Leeds United at Portman Road this weekend?
One criticism of Leeds United this season has been their soft touch in the physical stakes.
Earlier in the campaign, a physical approach was a probable way in which to take points off Thomas Christiansen’s side, with Millwall showing the Championship how its done with a 1-0 win over United in September, ending their run of 636 minutes without conceding.
Fast forward five months and Leeds aren’t a great deal tougher physically, which is bad news when you consider who their next opponents are.
On Saturday, the Whites, on the back of a terrible 2-1 defeat at Newport County in the FA Cup, go to Ipswich Town and Mick McCarthy’s side aren’t known for letting their opponents play football to the best of their abilities.
In fact, the Tractor Boys, along with Bolton, have given away more fouls than any other side in the Championship this season, conceding 358 free kicks so far.
This doesn’t mean that Ipswich will kick lumps out of the Elland Road side this weekend, but it does paint a picture and you wonder whether Christiansen’s troops are any more equipped to deal with being bullied now than they were at The Den.
With Samu Saiz serving the first of a six-match ban for spitting, and Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Kemar Roofe struggling for goals, Leeds’ chances of victory don’t look hugely promising anyway, but if Ipswich rough them up and send a message early on then you worry for the West Yorkshire outfit at Portman Road.
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