Leeds Rhinos vs Salford Red Devils Prediction: McDonnell targets another score

Salford Red Devils head to AMT Headingley bouncing from just their second Betfred Super League win of the season, and come up against a Leeds Rhinos team stinging from their failure to score a single point in last week's surprise home defeat to St Helens (20:00, Sky Sports+).

The Rhinos were strangely subdued last week, but with some fresh injury setbacks can Salford really go to West Yorkshire and spring a major upset? Below you can find Leeds Rhinos vs Salford Red Devils predictions.

Team news

There are some key absentees for both sides this week as the Rhinos look to get back to winning ways and Salford look to maintain their recent upturn in form.

England prop Mikolaj Oledzki won't play for Leeds for at least six weeks after fracturing his cheekbone in that loss to Saints. It was pretty bad and wasn't a pretty sight for those like myself who watched on from the touchline last weekend at AMT Headingley.

Tom Holroyd is back from suspension but has immediately had wrist surgery so will also be out for a similar amount of time.

That means a chance for teenage prop Presley Cassell who is in line for a debut, while fellow academy star George Brown has also been added to the squad for the first time.

Salford's injury news is not good, with three influential players missing. The unfortunate Loghan Lewis made his long-awaited return from injury in the win over Castleford on Sunday but a head knock means he is unavailable this weekend.

Leeds Rhinos vs Salford Red Devils Odds

Centre Esan Marsters suffered a shoulder injury and half-back Jayden Nikorima came off clutching his arm and both miss out.

Head coach Paul Rowley brings in forwards Charlie Glover and Finley Yates plus winger Sam Hill.

Handicap 3-way: Alternative 1 Salford 42 @ 7/5

Leeds will definitely get straight back on the horse here with a win, the only question being by how many.

The handicap looks hefty at 48 given Salford's recent positivity - the win last week over Cas was as deserved as their previous narrow home defeat by Warrington was undeserved. The Red Devils have been looking much more like a competitive team, and even though I wouldn't have expected them to win at Leeds, I would have been predicting a decent showing but for those three injuries that they have suffered.

Losing Nikorima and Marsters leaves Salford devoid of any creativity and as such I fear they are going to be starved of possession and thus territory.

Leeds were really blunt last week and will respond. Jake Connor was anonymous last week and so will turn up for sure.

This will be a big Leeds win, likely bigger than the 28-0 victory at Salford a few months ago. I have probably been a little too confident from a Salford perspective, but I was originally looking at a 30-point margin until the injury news came through. Salford could beat the handicap, but it could also be pretty ugly.

James McDonnell anytime tryscorer @ 6/4

Home games against this Salford team don't really offer a lot of value in the tryscorer market, as you would expect Leeds to run in about ten tries which could be shared about pretty evenly.

As such I tend to look to the Leeds pack, and my picks would be either Kallum Watkins or James McDonnell. The latter scored four tries in one game earlier this season - and that game was against the Red Devils in April.

While Watkins is getting better with age and can't have been far away from England coach Shaun Wane's thinking when he named his preliminary Ashes squad.

Offers

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