Leigh Leopards vs Leeds Rhinos Prediction: Two sides with a flair for the dramatic

It's third against fifth in the Betfred Super League on Thursday night as in-form Leigh host a Leeds Rhinos side looking to bounce back from a dramatic one-point defeat at Wakefield. (8pm, Sky Sports Action)

The Leopards experienced late drama themselves but were on the right end of the result as their fightback produced a thrilling win over Warrington, so this one should be a cracker.

Leigh Leopards vs Leeds Rhinos Oddsy

Leigh are the 8/11 favourites in this one while Rhinos are priced at 6/5. 16/1 is your price if you fancy a draw after 80 minutes.

Team News

Leigh picked up no fresh injuries in that dramatic win over Warrington and will have two key men back to boost the squad this week.

England prop Robbie Mulhern was named in the 21-man party last week but did not play against the Wolves, so I would expect him to be fully fit to feature against another of his former clubs Leeds.

Also back is Ethan O'Neill - he was also named in the initial squad last time out but did not feature.

There is one change to the 21, with winger Darnell McIntosh back available following injury. The versatile Brad Dwyer is the man to make way.

Leeds have new signing Chris Hankinson in their squad following his move from crisis-hit Salford this week.

He is likely to feature on the wing after injury ruled out youngster Alfie Edgell. Riley Lumb is the other option, but given he had just lost his place to Edgell then Hankinson could get the nod.

A boost for Leeds sees the return of NRL-bound youngster Morgan Gannon. He takes the place of George Brown in the only other change to Brad Arthur's squad.

Leeds Rhinos 1-12 points @ 23/10

I expect this to be a really good game, which could end up being one of the games of the season if both teams turn up. The frustration for Leeds boss Arthur is that his side have not been consistent enough in big games like this. They have beaten top two Hull KR and Wigan, but also lost twice in games against St Helens for example.

So this is another opportunity for Leeds to show they are genuine contenders for the title. The previous game between the two sides this season brought a lot of points. Leeds won 48-30 at AMT Headingley, and have in fact won the last three meetings against Leigh.

So could this be another famous win on the road as we saw against leaders Hull KR last month?

I make Leigh favourites, but I give Leeds a big chance. And I expect it to be tight. The two games between the sides last year brought Leeds wins by eight and six points so we can expect it to be close again. The Leopards are a better side than the one we saw in those two defeats, and have also improved since this year's loss at Headingley.

If Leigh can get the start then I think they will win. But they were painfully slow out of the blocks against Warrington and needed some late heroics to rescue it.

The handicap offers Leeds just a two-point start which underlines how tight this one is.

I feel like the Rhinos need a win this week, and beating the team three points above them would be a big statement. I feel a little nervous doing this, but I am going to back an away win here, and will do so by a narrow margin.

Umyla Hanley anytime tryscorer @ 2/1

Last week I recommended Umyla Hanley to score for Leigh against Warrington, but didn't back him. He of course obliged at 5/4 with a terrific double.

Another one of our tips Matt Dufty also scored at 6/4, as did Jake Thewlis at 5/4. So we are sniffing around the points in the right areas at the moment!

Leeds have talisman Ash Handley making his 250th appearance in this one and the centre is a tempting 9/4 to mark it with a try.

I'm going to go with my Leigh tip though - probably to counter taking Leeds in the match betting - and am sticking with the in-form Hanley to cross again.

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