"Spoil the party" - Neil Warnock backs Ipswich Town in Leeds United and Leicester City promotion race | OneFootball

After Tuesday night's match between Leicester City and Southampton, which saw the Foxes pick up a 5-0 victory, the battle for the top two spots in the Championship has been reduced to three teams, and Neil Warnock has backed Ipswich Town to be one of the sides that goes up.

Southampton's chances of finishing in the top two spots in the second division were slim after their defeat to Cardiff City, on Saturday, but those hopes have been completely dashed by their woeful last half an hour against Leicester, on Tuesday night.

The most points that they can achieve this season is now 90, s0, unless a miracle occurs, it's just the Foxes, Leeds United and Ipswich who are battling with one another to claim one of the two automatic promotion spots.

Leicester and the Tractor Boys are the ones who have it in their hands. Even though Leeds have jumped ahead of Kieran McKenna's side, and they could further increase that gap to four points with a win against Queens Park Rangers on Friday night, but Town will still have the games in hand to be able to catch them.

All Leicester need is to win one of their final two games to secure promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking. They may not even need that if Leeds fail to win in London on Friday; one point would be all that was required to book their spot in the top flight for the 2024/25 season.

Most people expected three of the top four to be up there at this point in the season, but Ipswich, who were in League One a year ago, were not expected to be involved in this battle. Their heroic story has earned the backing of the former Leeds manager.

Neil Warnock is behind Ipswich Town

The former Huddersfield Town boss wants to see McKenna and his side cause a big upset by pipping one of the big boys to a spot in the top two.

Speaking on Sky Sports, prior to Leicester's drubbing of the Saints, he said: "You look at the top four clubs, and three of them four you would expect to be promoted, without a shadow of a doubt. And then you've got Ipswich doing really, really well.

"I voted for [McKenna] as my manager of the season. To be at this level, and do what he's done, two years on the trot.

"It's going to be a great end of the season run-in. I'm right looking forward to it, and I love the underdog, if I'm honest. So I hope Ipswich keep going and spoil the party."

Ipswich have had an astonishing season, regardless of promotion

Leicester, Leeds and Southampton, despite all of the reasons why they were relegated from the Premier League last season, came down to the Championship with squads that were way too good for the level.

On top of that, they were able to spend a decent amount of money on bringing in assets to improve their teams. The Tractor Boys, on the other hand, were not in that position.

They couldn't go out and bring in four or five marquee acquisitions, and that is reflected in the values of their squads. According to Transfermarkt, Town's team is more than four times less valuable than that of the Foxes and the Whites - £43.4 million, compared to £181 million and £176 million for Leicester and Leeds, respectively.

Southampton's team isn't far behind the other two former top flight sides, with a squad value of £163 million.

To be able to do what Ipswich have done, and compete with these top sides with such fewer resources, is such an immense achievement.

Unfortunately, with the way that the world works today, unless they win promotion, it won't be remembered in the same way, but it definitely should be.