Leeds United will look to maintain their lead at the top of the Championship with a victory over Birmingham City at Elland Road on Saturday.

The Whites have been transformed under Marcelo Bielsa and they look like genuine promotion contenders, arguably for the first-team since Garry Monk, now manager of Blues, left.

His return to Yorkshire will add another element to this clash which will probably be closer than the table suggests it should be.

As our statpack shows, Leeds are already 12 points ahead of Birmingham going into the game and they have been irresistible at times this season, with Bielsa demanding a fast, attacking style of play from his team.

Their unbeaten start has been built on keeping the ball, finding space and using the technical quality of the likes of Samuel Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski to unlock defences.

For Blues, it's a complete contrast. They are happy to play without the ball, defend in deep blocks and are more direct in their approach, evident by the average possession stats.

Therefore, you can expect the hosts to have much more of the ball when the sides meet but that's not to say it will be a comfortable victory for Leeds.

The story of the season for Monk's men has been missing chances, with the side somehow failing to beat West Brom and Swansea in recent weeks.

The average shots per game, 13.1 for Leeds against 12.6 for Birmingham, is virtually the same and that highlights how Blues have been effective in getting chances and attempts on goal.

Yet, no player having scored more than once perfectly explains the problem for the visitors and they will need to be clinical and ruthless if they are to have any chance of inflicting a first league defeat on Bielsa.

One positive is that they could be boosted by the return of Maikel Kieftenbeld in the middle of the park and he will have a big role to play in stopping the creative threats that Leeds possess.

Additionally, with United playing such an expansive style, Jota and Jacques Maghome will hope to exploit any space down the flanks.

However, with Leeds playing some great stuff and backed by a sell-out crowd, the home side will understandably start as favourites.