Saturday’s Premier League action gets underway at Elland Road as bottom-half Leeds United go head-to-head with underperforming Tottenham Hotspur.
Match Preview
Now deeply embroiled in the relegation battle on the back of three consecutive league defeats, the Whites will take the field in 15th in the Premier League table, only three points clear of 18th-placed Burnley.
Leeds’ humiliating 6-0 defeat away to Liverpool in midweek means that Marcelo Bielsa’s men have now conceded at least three goals in each of their last four Premier League outings.
Their defensive vulnerability has been off the charts this season, with no Premier League side conceding more league goals than the Yorkshire outfit (56).
But despite facing a potentially season-long fight against the drop, Bielsa insists he has no intention of abandoning Leeds’ attacking principles in favour of a more conservative approach.
“When you are the conductor in a bad situation, nobody trusts in what you are saying,” he said as relayed by the Daily Mail.
“But what I am sure of is, if I stop doing what I believe in, the situation will get even worse. The question is not of changing how we proceed but to make our procedures work.”
Bielsa is not the only Premier League manager currently under pressure, as his Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte could soon find himself in a similar situation.
After going unbeaten in his first nine league games in charge (W6, D3), the Italian tactician has suffered four defeats in his last five top-flight fixtures (W1).
Spurs’ heroic 3-2 victory against Manchester City last weekend revived their hopes of claiming their first Premier League top-four finish since 2018/19.
However, Harry Kane and co faltered again in midweek, succumbing to a narrow 1-0 loss to relegation-battling Burnley at Turf Moor, marking their third scoring blank in five league outings.
Tottenham now sit seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United. Even with two games in hand, they face an uphill battle to secure Champions League football for next season.
Spurs’ indifferent Premier League form away from home this term (W5, D2, L5) suggests a victory at Elland Road is anything but a foregone conclusion.
Team News
Leeds are still without first-team regulars Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch, Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper, with the quartet yet to overcome their fitness problems.
First-choice centre-back Diego Llorente could also miss out on Tottenham’s visit due to a hamstring injury.
The Spaniard’s potential absence could force Bielsa to deploy his utility man Stuart Dallas a makeshift central defender, allowing Luke Ayling to work his magic on the right flank.
As ever, Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Daniel James should spearhead Leeds’ attacking charge at Elland Road.
Meanwhile, Conte is waiting on news of Rodrigo Bentancur and Japhet Tanganga but has an otherwise fully-fit squad for Tottenham’s trip to Yorkshire.
After wasting numerous scoring opportunities at Burnley, Kane and Heung-min Son will be under scrutiny, with the former looking to find the net in back-to-back league travels for the first time this season.
Kane, who gave Man City a taste of what could have been, failed to score against Leeds in the reverse fixture as Tottenham came from behind to win 2-1 in London back in November.
Leeds United Potential Starting XI:
(4-2-3-1): Illan Meslier; Stuart Dallas, Luke Ayling, Pascal Struijk, Junior Firpo; Jamie Shackleton, Adam Forshaw; Raphinha, Daniel James, Jack Harrison; Rodrigo.
Tottenham Hotspur Potential Starting XI:
(3-4-3): Hugo Lloris; Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Ben Davies; Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Winks, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon; Lucas Moura, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min.
Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
Defensive woes have troubled both sides this calendar year, with no Premier League clean sheet for either team since the calendar flipped to 2022.
We anticipate this game to produce goals at both ends, although Tottenham’s quality in the front third could prove enough to grab them all three points.
Leeds United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur.
