There will be a brief RB Leipzig reunion at the St. Mary’s Stadium when Leeds United travel to Southampton for a Saturday afternoon kick-off. Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch briefly worked under Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl when the latter was in charge of Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
However, the duo will not get much time to exchange pleasantries, as both teams will target this fixture as a potential three-pointer. The last time Leeds and Southampton had met, they had to stay content with a share of the spoils. Are the top football betting tips experts expecting a similar result this time?
Southampton
A marvellous James Ward-Prowse free-kick had given Southampton the perfect start against Tottenham last weekend. However, the Saints let go of the lead and succumbed to a 4-1 away defeat in the end. Giving away leads has become a disturbing trend for Southampton as they have conceded 55 points from winning situations since the summer of 2020. No other team in the division have a worse record in the division.
Ahead of the home tie against Leeds, Southampton can hope to pick up their first points of the season, looking at their home record against the Yorkshire outfit. In their last five home games against Leeds, Southampton have lost only once and won four of them.
Tino Livramento’s injury will be a major concern for Hasenhüttl unless he brings in a new fullback before the window ends. Livramento is unlikely to feature for Southampton before the World Cup break. Moussa Djenepo could not do a great job at playing a makeshift left-back role against Spurs. But, Djenepo might have to play as a left-back again as Livramento’s natural alternative Nathan Tella has just returned to training. Theo Walcott is not in consideration for making the matchday squad as he is yet to achieve full match fitness.
Leeds United
Leeds United delighted their fans with a comeback 2-1 win over Wolves to start their new Premier League campaign. A Daniel Podence half-volley had beaten Illan Meslier and bulged the back of the net only six minutes into the game. But Rodrigo Moreno found the equalizer in the 24th minute before Wolves defender Rayan Aït-Nouri directed the ball into his own net, trying to stop a Brenden Aaronson strike.
Leeds have been in excellent form under Jesse Marsch after losing the first two Premier League matches the American tactician had managed. In their last 11 Premer League outings, the Peacocks have won five times but lost only three games. The defeats came against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea. Leeds are also on song on the road as they lost only one of their last five Premier League matches outside Elland Road.
Junior Firpo and Luke Ayling are likely to return earlier than expected, says Marsch. However, the Southampton trip will be too soon for the duo. Adam Forshaw and Luis Sinisterra are recovering well, but they are yet to train in the new season. Club skipper Liam Cooper is nursing an Achilles problem and might watch the Southampton match at home. Stuart Dallas is not anticipating a return anytime soon as he recuperates from a femoral fracture.
Our Prediction
There have been clear indications of progress at Leeds United since Jesse Marsch came in. Southampton, on the other hand, seem like a team heading in the opposite direction. The Saints’ defence was all over the place against Spurs. Even though this tie looks pretty even on paper, we believe Leeds have the firepower to punish Southampton’s defensive indiscipline and bag all three points. We are expecting a 3-1 win for Leeds.
Our Tip
Leeds to win @ 3.2