The big advantage Leicester City have over Leeds United and Ipswich Town in automatic promotion battle: View | OneFootball

For a second consecutive gameweek, the top three in the Championship failed to win, as Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Leeds United all continued to stutter during this tense run-in.

It started on Friday night, as the Foxes took on struggling Plymouth Argyle at Home Park, but a disappointing performance from Enzo Maresca’s side saw them fall to a 1-0 defeat.

Leeds then failed to capitalise initially, as a Sammie Szmodics goal secured a surprising three points for Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road.

Ipswich were last to play, and whilst they avoided defeat, they didn’t take full advantage, as they could only draw with Middlesbrough at home, although they did at least return to the top of the table.

Leicester City’s advantage in promotion race

All of this means Southampton can’t be ruled out for a top two finish, particularly as they have games against Leicester and Leeds, the latter which could be a potentially huge final day clash.

However, the old saying is that points on the board are more important than games in hand, especially at this stage of the season, so it would still take a lot for Saints to finish above two of the three sides above them.

On paper, you could make a case for any of the sides to finish in the top two, but the reality is that Leicester have a big edge over their rivals because they have three games to play at the King Power Stadium.

Firstly, Maresca’s men have a game in hand on Ipswich and Leeds, which, if they win, would put them top, so they’re in a good position.

Crucially though, the Tractor Boys and the Whites are now gearing up for two very difficult away games. McKenna will take his side to play-off chasing Hull City on the 27th April, whilst Leeds face Boro at the Riverside Stadium this weekend.

After that, Ipswich play Coventry, with Daniel Farke's side going to the capital to face QPR.

Meanwhile, Leicester welcome West Brom and Saints to the East Midlands, and whilst both fixtures are very tough, the importance of playing at home can’t be underestimated.

Leicester’s excellent home form

It may seem obvious, but home advantage remains critical in the modern game, and that has been evident in the Championship this season.

Despite playing two fewer games, Leicester have already picked up four more points at home on the road.

The gap is highlighted more with their rivals, as Leeds have collected 53 of their 87 points at home, whilst Ipswich have 51 of their 89 points at Portman Road.

So, it’s clearly a massive boost for Leicester that their two closest competitors only have one home game left.

As for the Foxes, they will take huge encouragement from their good form at the King Power Stadium, having won 15 of their 20 games. Whilst there have been a few tough moments, notably recent defeats to Middlesbrough and QPR, the reality is they still look assured on their own patch.

Plus, their away form, which had been exceptional, has become a major worry, as they’ve picked up just one point in their last four trips, which includes three defeats on the spin.

Ultimately, this promotion battle is going to go to the wire, and it will be about which side handles the pressure.

But, small details can make a big difference in such a tight battle, and Leicester City having three home games compared to just one for Ipswich and Leeds means they are in the best position to take top spot.