Premier League: Leeds Must Ground the Seagulls to Stay Alive

Leeds United vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Leeds United’s bid for another year in the Premier League became even more complicated with just a few games remaining. Now on a four-game winless run including a three-game losing streak, the Whites have fallen back into the drop zone, placing 18^th with 34 points, although they’re still level with Burnley.

However, the Clarets have three more games to play while the Whites only have two, so Jesse Marsch’s men must buckle up and try to get as much points as they can – starting this Saturday when they’ll host Brighton at Elland Road.

The Seagulls have been flying high as of late with two consecutive wins and they’re in great shape for a Top 10 finish.

However, the pre-match SBOTOP betting odds for Leeds United and Brighton are not far off from each other despite their recent forms, suggesting that this match might be closer than most would expect.

 

Talking Points

Now or never for Leeds United

The odds are clearly stacked against the Whites and Jesse Marsch’s men must get positive Premier League 2022 results with two more games to play. They will also hope that the teams right above them in the standings will lose their respective matches too.

However, they’ll have to get the job done without a complete squad as they’ve been dogged once again by injuries and suspensions.

Red cards for winger Daniel James and full-back Luke Ayling in recent weeks mean that both are unable to play for the remainder of the season.

On the other hand, Adam Forshaw, Tyler Roberts, Stuart Dallas, Crysencio Summerville, and Jack Harrison remain in the recovery room for this weekend, while Patrick Bamford is doubtful to play as he’s struggling with his foot injury.

So Kalvin Phillips is going to be the key for Leeds’ chances of winning against Brighton. His defencive contributions along with his versatility up front should somehow provide aid for the likes of top scorers Rodrigo Moreno and Raphinha.

Liam Cooper recently returned against Chelsea, which is great news following his recurring knee problem, and he’ll be another key cog at the back alongside Diego Llorente, Robin Koch, and Pascal Struijk.

Brighton’s confidence is at a high

Following their impressive 4-0 victory against Manchester United, Brighton are keen on maintaining their fine form in order to carry some momentum ahead of next season.

In the said game, the Seagulls were aggressive against the listless Red Devils as Moises Caicedo scored within 15 minutes. And then the floodgates were opened by goals from Marc Cucurella, Pascal Groß, and Leandro Trossard.

Marc Cucurella has been a revelation for the Seagulls since his arrival from Getafe last summer and he’ll be the man to look out for if you’re Leeds United with his searing pace and high work rate. 

Compared to Leeds United, Brighton don’t have much injuries to deal with as only Enock Mwepu and Jakub Moder are the only ones on the sidelines.

History

The Seagulls have had the Whites’ number here in the Premier League as they’ve won eight of their last 10 meetings against them (L1, D1). Brighton also held Leeds United scoreless on eight separate occasions in that run.

Brighton have also won five of their last seven away matches against Leeds United (L2) after winning just one of their first 16 visits to Elland Road before (D6, L9).

Leeds United have lost nine English top-flight home games so far this season while conceding 37 goals at Elland Road – which is their second-highest in both categories after losing more in 1946/47 (10) and conceding more in 1959/60 (46).

The Whites, though, did a superb job of keeping the Seagulls in check during their reverse fixture last November as the game ended with a score of 0-0 despite the latter having more total shots and possession.

Betting Tip

Surprisingly, Leeds United are the ones slightly favoured by the Premier League 2022 odds to win. The Whites are installed at 2.60, while Brighton are pegged at 2.61 and a draw is at 3.30 in the 1X2 market.

With both sides settling for a goalless draw in their last meeting, we feel that it won’t happen again this time, although we don’t expect much goals in this game – making Under 2.75 @ 1.75 our best bet.

Brighton are poised to take the victory for this one. However, at this point, Leeds United are not to be taken for granted since they will come out at Elland Road and play like they’ve got nothing to lose.

 

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