Southampton will be looking to snap out of their malaise as they host Leeds United in a Championship fixture on Saturday. Morale appears to be low at St Mary’s at the moment and with Leeds looking solid in recent weeks, a win for the visitors could be on the cards.
Southampton were one of the early picks for promotion but are currently looking like they may be set for a turbulent campaign. They appear to me missing the spark and creativity of players like James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Tella and head into Saturday’s clash off the back of four straight defeats.
The Saints suffered a 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough in their previous Championship fixture. They failed to build on an early lead from Adam Armstrong and were pegged back with halftime approaching before conceding the winner midway through the second half.
There has also been little home comfort for Southampton who have picked up just one win at St Mary’s Stadium. Russell Martin’s men have also lost their last two home matches, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Leicester City before losing 1-0 to Ipswich Town.
Leeds United were also fancied for promotion at the start of the season and in contrast to Southampton, appear to be living up to those expectations. They have suffered just one Championship defeat all season and are currently challenging around the playoff places.
Things have been particularly smooth for Leeds United lately as they are unbeaten in their last five matches, claiming three wins in that run, including a 3-0 victory over Watford last time out. Daniel Farke’s men have also impressed on their recent travels, picking up two wins and a draw from their last three away matches.
Leeds United’s recent fine form has been surprisingly driven by a solid defence that has kept clean sheets in the last four Championship matches. They have also not conceded in their last two fixtures on the road.
How the bookies view it
Leeds United have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for Southampton is valued at 21/10 by bet365 while BetVictor is offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Leeds United have a 34-20 advantage with 13 draws from 67 previous matches against Southampton. The Whites also claimed a 1-0 victory when both teams met in the Premier League back in February.
Players to watch
Leeds United have built their recent form on a solid defence that has not conceded in the last four matches. Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk have both impressed at centre-back and can lead the visitors to another clean sheet at 14/5 with BoyleSports.
At the other end of the pitch, Joel Piroe has caught the eye since joining in the summer. The Dutch striker has four goals in five appearances for Leeds United and is priced at 15/8 by William Hill to score anytime on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Leeds United’s defensive displays in recent weeks, a win to nil could be considered at 19/5 with Coral. They often balance things out by being solid in attack and having grabbed three goals in their previous fixture, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 17/5 with Unibet.
Leeds United have scored in both halves in two of their last three away matches in the Championship and could be set for a similar pattern at 21/10 with BoyleSports.
This England Championship match between Southampton and Leeds United will be played on Sep 30, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs Leeds United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
