Leigh Leopards vs Catalans Dragons Prediction: Leopards need to change their spots

Two sides in need of a pick-me-up meet in Leigh as the Leopards host Catalans Dragons with both sides winning just once in their opening three Betfred Super League fixtures. (Kick-off 20:00)

Catalans are licking their wounds from a 36-4 home humbling by St Helens and will need a much-improved performance in the North West against a Leigh side also hurting after being hammered 54-0 last week by Wigan. Read on for my Leigh Leopards vs Catalans Dragons predictions.

Team News

Both of these sides will be bruised from the manner of last week's losses, and this will be intriguing to who is able to bounce back strongest.

Leigh make five changes after last week's humiliation in the Battle of the Borough, with head coach Adrian Lam a little short on numbers. Lam this week confirmed the absence of 10 senior players, including star hooker Edwin Ipape, and centre Umyla Hanley who has been named in the last couple of squads but not made it.

Bailey Hodgson also went off at Wigan last week and has suffered a PCL tear that will sideline him for the next two months, although it was feared it could have been a season-ending ACL.

Star full-back David Armstrong remains out long term, so the Leopards are a little light and only name a 20-man squad. Of the 20, AJ Towse and Louis Brogan are both carrying injuries despite being named. Out are Hanley, Hodgson, Ipape, Joe Ofahengaue and Matty Davis - all five would start if fit.

Into the squad come Towse, Brogan, Will Brough and Ben McNamara. Brough and Ryan Brown could be set for debuts.

Joel Tomkins was furious with his Dragons side last week as they capitulated after half-time against Saints. They were in the game at just 6-0 down at the break before a very odd collapse.

So he also makes changes, with four new faces coming in. Captain Ben Garcia is injured, while Josh Simm, Matty Russell and Alexis Lis drop out.

Into the squad come Chris Satae, Lenny Marc, Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet and Leo Darrelatour.

Leigh Leopards vs Catalans Dragons Odds

Handicap 3-way Leigh Leopards -10 @ 11/10

I would normally be backing a Leigh win in this fixture without even looking at the squad lists or over-analysing the form book. But if you sat through last week's Wigan destruction then you would struggle to back the Leopards this week with any degree of confidence.

That is as one-sided a Wigan-Leigh game I have ever seen, but the Leopards were desperately unlucky with injuries on the night that both deprived them of bodies and interchanges against a Warriors team at the top of its game. I think circumstance played a big part in that scoreline.

Leigh impressed in round one. That win over Leeds has proved even more striking given what dominance we have seen from the Rhinos since. But having been edged out by Saints in round two they completely fell apart at Wigan and this fixture needs to serve as a reset.

The Dragons are notoriously tough to predict on their travels, but given their one Betfred Super League road trip this season has brought a 28-10 defeat at Bradford, you would not necessarily be backing them to win at Leigh - regardless of what kind of Leopards side they are coming up against.

Leigh won all three meetings between the sides last season, and both meetings in 2024. Catalans last won this fixture 30-14 in August 2023 and will miss captain Garcia.

I'm taking Leigh to win this one, but fear it may not be too pretty. The handicap is 10 which does not fill me with confidence, but if the home side get the start then it is doable and so I will back Lam's men to come through a tough test unscathed.

Charlie Staines anytime tryscorer @ 13/8

There haven't been many highlights for Catalans fans so far but I do like the look of full-back Charlie Staines. He and half-backs Lewis Dodd and Toby Sexton have provided the spark so far - not that there has been much of it.

Former NRL star Staines scored the only Dragons try on that miserable outing against Saints last week and is 13/8 with Betfred this week. He would probably be my pick for the French side, along with Sexton at 7/1.

For the home side, I always look either out wide or to hooker Ipape. In the absence of the latter my money would be on Keenan Brand at 6/5.

You may also like to look at two veterans who don't know how to stop scoring tries in their old age - Josh Charnley is 10/11 and his former England team-mate Tommy Makinson 6/4.

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