Leigh Leopards vs Warrington Wolves Predictions: Wolves for the win in clash of form teams

One of the ties of round 24 in the Betfred Super League takes place at Leigh Sports Village on Friday as Adrian Lam's in-form Leigh Leopards welcome Sam Burgess and his Warrington Wolves side who many are tipping to go all the way this year (kick-off 20:00 BST, live on Sky Sports+)

Leigh are now within a point of the play-off places after a stunning run of seven wins in eight games, while Warrington are two points adrift of the leaders Hull KR and Wigan Warriors.

Leigh Leopards vs Warrington Wolves Odds

Despite the Leopards' recent run of form, it is the visitors who are the slight favourites with Betfred. The Wolves are 4/5 to claim the two points and keep the pressure up on the top two as a result, while Leigh are 11/10 to force their way into the top six ahead of the remainder of the weekend's fixtures. Reckon this one could be a tight affair? Well it's 18/1 for the game to go to extra-time with a draw in 80 minutes.

Team News

Leigh have key half-back Matt Moylan back in their squad but there is no John Asiata in the pack through suspension. Other than that it is a formidable Leopards squad which includes eight former Warrington players, with the return of Moylan a real boost.

The playmaker has been struggling with a rib cartilage injury and has played just 40 minutes of rugby since leaving the field in the win over St Helens in July.

Rugby League Odds

Warrington make the short trip without key forward James Harrison who, after returning from suspension, now misses out with a leg injury. Star full-back Matt Dufty is also out as he recovers from the knee injury sustained while scoring a hat-trick against Leeds Rhinos at Magic Weekend.

Lachlan Fitzgibbon, though, has recovered from a shoulder injury after making good progress in training over the last fortnight and takes his place in the squad once more. The former Newcastle Knights forward has been plagued by injuries in his first season at Warrington, having undergone back surgery prior to his shoulder issue.

Handicap 3-way: Warrington -2 @ 11/10

This is a fiendishly difficult contest to call and one I cannot wait to watch. Leigh are one of the form teams in Super League and when they are in the mood on home soil the Leopards are very tough to beat. That is reflected in the betting this week, but I personally make the visitors slight favourites.

Since an abject home defeat to leaders Hull KR at the start of August, the Wolves have won three on the bounce and are actually on a better, longer run of form than Leigh, having won eight of their last nine including impressive wins on the road at Wigan and St Helens in July.

There were just two points separating the sides when Warrington won 16-14 at the Halliwell Jones in April and I expect another close contest this time.

If Leigh get a rampant start I firmly believe they can win this game, but I am still siding with Warrington. This is a huge game for both sides, and for me it comes down to who is the better side. For me, that is Warrington, and if this was a Grand Final I would be backing the Wolves for a narrow win.

Umyla Hanley anytime tryscorer @ 7/4

There are some terrific finishers on show in this game with the likes of Josh Charnley, Umyla Hanley, Matty Ashton and Josh Thewlis all great bets to score.

Charnley loves playing against his former club, with the Leigh winger having scored a try in each of the last three meetings between the two sides. He is a great shout at 5/4 but I am going to take the extra value on offer with Hanley at an implied probability of 36.4%.

This has been a breakthrough season for the player who has looked equally as potent at centre or on the wing and I am backing him to have a big game in this one.

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