Burnley may be the clean-sheet kings but free-scoring Leeds can regain top spot in the Championship by downing Sunderland

Leeds United may have some way to go to match Burnley’s new Championship record of 11 consecutive clean sheets but their defence is still pretty watertight after six successive league games without conceding. And if they extend their current purple patch in defence by keeping promotion rivals Sunderland at bay in their big Monday night showdown at Elland Road it will send them back to the top of the table by vaulting over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United.

It won’t be an easy task as the visiting Wearsiders are still on the coattails of the automatic promotion race and will be desperate to win as they will be eight points off the pace if they lose this fixture with a play-off place looking more likely than a straight ticket to the Premier League. The Black Cats have won five and drawn three of their last eight games in English football’s second tier, but Leeds have fared even better with ten wins and four draws since their last defeat at the end of November.

They have also won 13 and drawn two of 16 games on home soil where their rearguard has only been breached on seven occasions while Sunderland have been patchy away from the Stadium of Light, where they are unbeaten, with seven wins and five draws alongside four defeats on their travels. They have become reliant on Wilson Isidor, who has scored six in his last ten outings, while Daniel Farke’s team spread the goals around with Joel Piroe bagging 14 league goals alongside valuable contributions from Daniel James, Brendan Aaronson and Manor Solomon.

Their 66 league goals is 15 more than any other team in the Championship with United chalking up 13 in their last three league games. Leeds, are heavy odds-on favourites to win the title and just 4/7 with William Hill and Betway to return to the top of the table with a victory against Sunderland but a 2-0 scoreline looks good at 6/1 with bet365, Betfred, BoyleSports and Sky Bet. Under.25 goals is 10/11 with bet365 and Betfred and Leeds are 6/4 with bet365, Sky Bet and StarSports to win without conceding. Pirloe, meanwhile, is 22/5 with Unibet and BETMGM to put the hosts on the road to victory and 43/20 with the same firms to score at any time.

• Ireland, our ante-post selection, can move another step closer to winning the Six Nations for a third year on the spin by beating Wales by between 16 and 20 points in Cardiff on Saturday at 6/1 with William Hill and bet365. Not many saw England’s win against France coming at Twickenham last time out but they can build on that spirited success by leading HT/FT at 8/11 with Ladbrokes and Coral when Scotland travel south of the border for the Calcutta Cup at the weekend. England are the same price with FedEx to win by more than 7.5 points.

• Jannik Sinner has been banned for three months after the World Anti-Doping Agency reached agreement with the world No.1 and accepted he was inadvertently contaminated by a banned substance and ‘did not intend to cheat’. The decision has sparked controversy with many regarding the punishment as too lenient and conveniently ending in time to leave the Italian free to play at the French Open in May. He is 11/4 with bet365 and Bet Victor to add the Roland Garros title to last month’s Australian Open crown.

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