Premier League: Leeds Looking to Turn Their Fortunes Around Versus Tottenham

Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Leeds United are now closer to the relegation zone than they were last season where they were seemingly contending for a spot in Europe, and they’ll be hoping for a huge turnaround when they’ll host Tottenham at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men are victims of a sound beating by Liverpool yesterday which was their third consecutive Premier League loss and they’re winless in their last five. As a result, they’re stuck at 15^th with only 23 points.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are also winless in four of their last five league games and that’s the main reason why they can’t go higher at the table. Antonio Conte’s side also lost against Burnley yesterday and they’re at eighth with 39 points.

Both sides are in dire need of a victory, although only one of them can get it this Saturday. Without further ado, here’s the preview of this matchup courtesy of SBOTOP.

Talking Points

Leeds United’s backline remains their Achilles heel

Leeds United took everyone by surprise when they finished at ninth last season through their high-octane play. But as opposing Premier League sides have figured them out, there is no adjustment whatsoever on Marcelo Bielsa’s part.

That was clearly the case when they were beaten to a pulp by Liverpool yesterday as the Reds ran riot with four different goalscorers and the Whites only had two shots on target, and it’s unlikely that they’ll drastically change their approach soon.

When the ball is in their possession, Leeds United pose a lot of danger as shown during their recent defeat against Manchester United where Rodrigo and Raphinha scored two goals in just one minute to draw level.

But time and time again, their defence is what’s killing them as evidenced by their league-worst mark of 56 goals conceded so far this season.

Injuries continue to haunt the Whites which hasn’t helped either since Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips continue to miss much of the season. Robin Koch, who’s one of their promising young defenders, is out once more due to the head injury he sustained vs. Manchester United.

The only hope for Leeds is that the fact that Tottenham have had their share of defencive woes as well. And this is probably their last chance of turning things around before they plunge deeper.

Inconsistency hurts Tottenham

Every point counts in this tightening race for European slots and Tottenham’s chances of achieving their objective have decreased since they continue to unnecessarily drop points.

While their stunning victory over Manchester City on Sunday was quite a pleasant surprise, they should’ve been able to brush aside Southampton and Burnley since they are weaker compared to the defending champions.

Spurs, though, have two games in hand and they shouldn’t waste these opportunities point blank.

Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, and Dejan Kulusevski have been the brightest spots for Antonio Conte, but their midfield and backline have to step up their performance in these next few weeks.

History

Overall, Tottenham have had Leeds’ number in the Premier League as they’ve won six in their last eight meetings (W6, L1, D1). The only loss came in this exact fixture last season where the Whites secured a 3-1 home victory.

But in terms of facing Leeds on the road, Tottenham have struggled as they’ve won just two of their last 13 league games at Elland Road (L8, D3). Their last league road win over the Whites was in January 2004 where the game ended 1-0.

Spurs won their reverse fixture last November, 2-1, as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Sergio Reguillon ended the club’s goalless run since Antonio Conte took charge.

Should Leeds lose this Saturday, it’ll mark the first time since 1995/96 where all three London-based sides have won at Elland Road in a single season (QPR, Tottenham, Arsenal). West Ham and Arsenal have already beaten them earlier this term.

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2022 odds are backing Tottenham to win. The Spurs are priced at 1.95 to win, while a victory for the Whites is pegged at 3.65 and a draw is at 3.55 in the 1X2 market.

The reason why Tottenham are given the advantage is because of their better depth and quality, although we wouldn’t count out Leeds United’s chances that easily.

Given how shambolic their backlines have been recently, Elland Road is bound to see a ton of goals and Premier League 2022 highlights from both sides. Total Goal 2-3 @ 1.99 appears to be the safest bet here. But if you’re swinging for the fences, you can go for Total Goal 4-6 @ 2.91.

 

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