Leeds United vs Southampton
Bottom-half Leeds United will be looking to maintain their upturn in form when they take on out-of-sorts Southampton at Elland Road in an exciting Premier League encounter.
Leeds United pulled off a sensational second-half comeback to turn a 2-0 HT deficit into a stunning 3-2 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, making it two Premier League wins in a row for only the second time this season. Despite experiencing a fitful domestic campaign, the ‘Whites’ still hold a seven-point lead on closest relegation rivals, though it’s worth noting that they’ve played more matches than each of them. Therefore, Leeds can ill-afford another setback against a Southampton side they’ve not lost to in 12 of their 13 Premier League meetings at Elland Road (W7, D2). However, Jesse Marsch’s men have been far from convincing at home this season, suffering seven defeats from their 15 Premier League home outings to date (W4, D4).
Meanwhile, Southampton would hope that March’s international break has curtailed their misery. They’ve lost their last three Premier League fixtures by an aggregate score of 8-2, compromising their chances of a first top-half finish since 2016/17. But after eking out a narrow 1-0 win in the reverse fixture at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton could register their first top-flight double over Leeds since 1981/82. Those hopes will hinge on a flying start, as the ‘Saints’ have only won one of their ten Premier League away matches after conceding first this season (D3, L7). Additionally, a lack of scoring prowess has seen Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men score 2+ goals in just four (29%) of their 14 top-flight road trips this season. Indeed, they’ve netted under 1.5 goals in three of their four away league games since the calendar year flipped to 2022.