Leeds Rhinos vs London Broncos Predictions: Back the Broncos to beat the odds

London Broncos' long losing run continued with a thumping defeat at Castleford Tigers last Friday, conceding seven tries and failing to score a point. They now head to AMT Headingley to face a Leeds Rhinos side in dire need of a big performance to lift their restless fans (kick-off 20:00 BST, live on Sky Sports Mix).

Rohan Smith's men edged out a desperate Hull FC last week to record only their second win in six games on Sunday, and much will be expected from the home crowd. Here are my Leeds Rhinos vs London Broncos predictions.

Team news

The Rhinos include Ash Handley in the initial squad again as he is given as much chance as possible to recover from his rib injury. In his absence last week, teenager Riley Lumb helped himself to two tries on debut so it seems likely he will keep his place.

Centre Paul Momirovski is out after suffering an ankle injury in that win at Hull FC, while James Donaldson is out with a neck injury and Tom Holroyd, James Bentley and Morgan Gannon are still out.

Harry Newman continues his recovery from a back injury but isn’t ready yet, while Leeds are getting used to having winger David Fusitu’a unavailable, and he is out with a knee injury.

London are able to name exactly the same 21-man squad as for last week’s loss at Castleford.

3-way Handicap Alternative 1 London Broncos +26 @ 7/5

London are unlikely to win this game and there is a good chance they will go the entire season without a win. However, I don’t expect this to be a stroll for a Leeds side who still flatter to deceive under Rohan Smith.

The Rhinos made hard work of a win at a wretched Hull side and have had spells of both brilliance and baffling inconsistency this term. Injuries haven’t helped, but Leeds fans have become increasingly frustrated with their side’s head coach and this is therefore a no-win game for them.

The expected outcome will be a huge win, for London it is a free hit and they will have a go. I expect a home win comfortably enough but I struggle to justify the huge margins on offer and am therefore looking at the Broncos to stay within 26 points of Leeds at 7/5 with an implied probability of 41.7%.

Andy Ackers anytime tryscorer @ 9/4

I keep waiting for the England hooker to score a try this season, and I fancy it may come pretty soon. Scoring tries is not his game of course, but he tends to run in a few a season so now feels a good time to back him to grab his first four-pointer of the year against Super League’s worst defence.

With Brodie Croft again proving king of the assists, there will be plenty of chances for his team-mates in this one, so I’m backing Ackers to get on the end of a break to reap the 9/4 rewards.

You can read all our latest Super League Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights Super League content hub.