‘He’s built an invincible atmosphere’
Ian Holloway has given his prediction for Saturday's crunch clash between Championship promotion rivals Leeds United and Ipswich Town. (Image: PA) Former football manager-turned-pundit Ian Holloway has backed Ipswich Town to get a result at Leeds United on Saturday. It's a key clash in the battle for automatic promotion.
Newly-promoted Town are second in the Championship table, 10 points ahead of freshly-relegated Leeds in third. Leeds are one of only two teams Ipswich have lost to this season as the halfway stage rapidly approaches, Daniel Farke's men winning 4-3 at Portman Road back in August. "I'm a big fan of Kieran McKenna," said Holloway, speaking via Genting Casino[1].
"If you watch how they've moulded things off the pitch, I've seen them (players and staff) go out together and get Ed Sheeran in the dressing room. You have to bond your team together. "Ipswich used to be a terrible place to play because they weren't pleasing the fans under Mick McCarthy.
Those fans were desperate to get back up and out of the lower divisions because they hadn't tasted it in years. Now Kieran has made it a wonderful place to be and they're going for it. SIGN-UP! Get three months of our premium Town coverage for just GBP3![2]
"They look like they're built to move forward and step higher into another division. Good luck to them. He still hasn't done it (won promotion to the Premier League) yet, but I love the way he's built an 'invincible' atmosphere within his team."
Leeds have dropped points in their last two games - losing 1-0 at Sunderland and the drawing 1-1 at home to Coventry. On the Yorkshire club, Holloway said: "It's very difficult when you come down. Everyone wants to leave like rats leaving a sinking ship, but that didn't seem to happen with Leeds.
They held on to a good squad and have got a nucleus of a Premier League side there. "They had been down in the doldrums and got back to the Premier League with the absolutely magnificent (Marcelo) Bielsa. I almost shed some tears when he left!
He was so different and unique. But Leeds will come bouncing back." He added: "It should be a great game.
Both teams have almost too much to lose at this stage. I can only see it ending even. I think all the players will rise to the occasion.
I'm going for Leeds 1-1 Ipswich."
References
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- ^ Get three months of our premium Town coverage for just GBP3! (www.eadt.co.uk)