Adrian Clarke, an EFL pundit, has offered his predictions for Leeds United’s Championship play-off final versus Southampton.
The two sides will face off at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to compete for the final spot in next season’s Premier League, after being relegated together just a year ago.
OPTA’s supercomputer predicted Leeds and Southampton to make the final, thus it came as no surprise as they easily defeated Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, respectively.
Sunday’s clash is made even more exciting by the fact that Southampton was the only team to complete a league double over Leeds during the regular season.
However, Leeds finished three points ahead of the Saints in the table, indicating that the two clubs are incredibly well matched going into the encounter.
Adrian Clarke reveals his prediction for Leeds vs Southampton.
The Championship play-off final is billed as the most costly game in football, so all eyes will be on Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
As a result, some commentators have already made their predictions for the match, with David Prutton and Ally McCoist among those picking Leeds to win on penalties.
Dion Dublin, on the other hand, believes Southampton will win because he has learned to appreciate Russell Martin’s style of play on the South Coast.
Clarke projected Southampton would win on the most recent episode of the ‘What The EFL Podcast’ for the same reason Dublin did.
He stated: “They will have to be at their best defensively; that is the one thing I am concerned about with Southampton. They have conceded 54 goals in open play this season, despite recent improvements. Leeds have let in 29, which is a significant difference.
“If they don’t defend excellently high up the pitch, Leeds’ front four may really harm them. But, in some ways, I think Saints have an advantage here; it may easily go to extra time, but I believe Southampton is simply a better-coached squad.
“Leeds are powerful, talented, and fast, but Southampton has more tactical depth. They can injure you in a variety of ways.
Could Illan Meslier be Leeds’ hero if it comes down to penalties?
As is typically the case in a final, this might be decided by a penalty shootout, as it was 12 months ago between Coventry City and Luton Town.
With that in mind, Illan Meslier will play a crucial part in determining the outcome, although he will undoubtedly need to improve his penalty saving record.
Except for penalty shootouts, Meslier has saved only one of Leeds’ 19 spot penalties, against West Ham United in March 2021. Interestingly, Jesse Lingard went on to score the rebound anyhow.
