Graham Smyth has weighed in on the Leeds United, Huddersfield Town debate, after the latter’s owner, Phil Hodgkinson, claimed that there wasn’t much difference between the two squads.

Leeds have done the double over Huddersfield in the Championship this season, winning 2-0 at the John Smith’s Stadium back in December, before coming out on top with the same scoreline earlier in March at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa has Leeds just nine games away from promotion, whilst Huddersfield are hovering just three points above the Championship relegation zone.

Despite that, Hodgkinson has claimed there’s not much difference between the two squads, telling the And He Takes That Chance podcast: "If you look at that Leeds game, if you cut those two squads together, I would not say, in my personal opinion, that Leeds have got better players than us barring one or two. I believe we've got better players in most positions.”  

Now, Smyth, who is the Yorkshire Evening Post’s chief Leeds United writer, has weighed in on the debate, claiming: “Bold. I'll give him that.”

When the Championship season is eventually allowed to resume, Leeds will look to win promotion in the nine remaining games, whilst Huddersfield – currently sitting 18th in the table – will look to avoid back-to-back relegations.

The Verdict  

Smyth is right, it is a bold claim from Hodgkinson, particularly when you consider the last fixture both these sides played was a convincing Leeds win.

QUIZ: These players have played for both Leeds United and Huddersfield Town – True or false?

Huddersfield have players who have played in the Premier League, but the fact they’ve failed to adapt to the Championship probably tells you that they aren’t quite at the level of Marcelo Bielsa’s table-topping squad.

The table doesn’t lie.

Thoughts? Let us know!

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