Leeds United, Leicester City septet dominate Championship automatic promotion race combined XI | OneFootball

Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, Crysencio Summerville, Conor Chaplin and Kyle Walker-Peters.

The fight for Championship automatic promotion is rapidly turning into a four-horse race between Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United and Southampton.

Leeds and Southampton have dropped points in midweek but they are still primed to capitalise if Championship pace-setters Leicester and Ipswich slip up, while there is already a four-point cushion between fourth and fifth.

The three relegated sides from the Premier League (and Kieran McKenna’s extraordinary Ipswich team) appear to be a level above the rest with all four promotion contenders setting themselves up to reach at least 90 points.

Fans of the Championship could be treated to a remarkable four-horse battle for the top two. But based on this pretty good XI, Leeds United and Leicester City are perhaps most likely to end up in the automatic places…

GK: Illan Meslier (Leeds United) The Frenchman has redeemed himself after a disastrous relegation season for himself and Leeds United in 2022/23.

After being linked with a major transfer elsewhere, his confidence was shot during last season’s relegation battle as an increasing number of mistakes crept into his game. And while several of his former teammates jumped ship in the summer, Meslier stuck around and he is a beneficiary of Daniel Farke’s ongoing rebuild at Elland Road.

RB: Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) Most of Southampton’s better players during their miserable Nathan Jones-affected season left in the summer, but Walker-Peters was one standout who stayed despite being capable of an immediate return to the Premier League via a bottom-half side.

Walker-Peters edges out Ricardo Pereira, who is another player too good to be performing at this level.

CB: Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City) Vestergaard may not have expected to feature much for Leicester this season after Enzo Maresca signed Conor Coady and Callum Doyle in the summer, but with the two newbies out injured, the 31-year-old has been an integral player for the Foxes.

Forming a solid partnership with Woet Faes, Vestergaard is a key part of the best defence in the Championship, with Leicester only conceding 14 goals in 21 league games.

CB: Joe Rodon (Leeds United) Leeds were shambolic defensively in the Premier League, but Farke has shored up their backline and summer signing Rodon has been an astute loan addition from Tottenham Hotspur.

After barely being given a chance at Spurs or while on loan at Rennes, Rodon’s career was at risk of stagnating before this season but he is now showing the form which earned him his £11m move to the north London outfit.

LB: Leif Davis (Ipswich Town) Leeds United have made several huge transfer missteps in recent years and one of their biggest was letting Davis join Ipswich Town for £1m in 2022.

After shining for the Tractor Boys during their stunning League One promotion season, Davis is top of the assist charts in the Championship with nine in 20 games and he’s now worth a whole lot more than the £1m he cost Ipswich around 18 months ago.

CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City) Having failed to make a huge impact at The King Power Stadium while Leicester were in the Premier League, Dewsbury-Hall has stepped up in the absence of Harvey Barnes and James Maddison.

Dewsbury-Hall has previously impressed at this level with Luton Town and he is now leading Leicester’s promotion charge with 14 goal involvements in 21 Championship outings.

CM: Harry Winks (Leicester City) The former Tottenham star made the bold call to drop down to the Championship with Leicester in the summer. He was expected to be picked up by a low-end Premier League side but he is impressing as one of Maresca’s main men.

The England international deserves acclaim for rebuilding his career with Sampdoria and now Leicester rather than going down the less-complicated route of heading straight to a Premier League side in the bottom half. He instead is benefitting hugely from his spells in Italy and the Championship.

RW: Dan James (Leeds United) James has had a rollercoaster couple of years but he is arguably playing the best football of his career this season under Farke.

Blessed with frightening pace but often lacking a cutting edge, the Wales international has added goals and assists to his game this term and finally appears to be becoming the full package.

CAM: Conor Chaplin (Ipswich Town) Chaplin is one example of a player who is in the form of his career at Ipswich with McKenna-ball turning average footballers into world-beaters.

The attacking midfielder was League One’s Chuba Akpom in 22/23 as his 29-goal campaign came out of nowhere and he has managed the step up to the Championship admirably and has eight goals and five assists in 21 appearances.

LW: Crysencio Summerville (Leeds United) Arguably the best player in the Championship, Summerville was one of the only Leeds players who could hold their head high after last season’s relegation and he is a class above the rest at this level.

The 22-year-old is close to registering a goal involvement per game this season (15 in 18 outings). If Leeds can fend off interest from rivals in January and keep him fit, he will be a leading contender to win the Championship Player of the Year award come May.

ST: Adam Armstrong (Southampton) Championship specialist Armstrong struggled with Southampton in the Premier League but he’s back to his best following his return to the second tier.

14-goal Blackburn Rovers standout Sammie Szmodics is the only player above Armstrong (12 goals) in the Championship scoring charts this term and an end-of-season tally of 25+ is well within reach for the Saints forward.