Leeds United will aim to put their poor recent form behind them when they travel to Norwich City on Sunday, and Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker agree on who will win the play-offs.
Leeds lost 2-1 at Southampton on Saturday, putting them out of contention for second place, while Ipswich beat Huddersfield 2-0. Norwich’s defeat to Birmingham City means they finished sixth.
Leeds face Daniel Farke’s former side in the Championship play-off semi-finals. Leeds will be buoyed by their regular-season victories over Norwich, both at home and away.
Meanwhile, Southampton face West Brom after the Baggies defeated Preston 3-0 on the last day. Carlos Corberan will be aiming for his team to throw a wrench in Russell Martin’s plans this weekend.
Both Shearer and Lineker commented on the play-offs following the weekend’s results and the announcement of the upcoming play-off games. They have reached a deal on who would win at Wembley on May 26.
This is what they stated.
Shearer and Lineker agree on who wins the championship play-offs.
West Brom’s victory over Preston masked the Baggies’ recent struggles with form. They have won only two of their past nine games, whereas Norwich has won five of their last ten, losing two.
However, Norwich has only won one of its last five games. Southampton’s victory over Leeds comes after three consecutive losses, and Leeds has lost four of its previous six games, so none of the four have much momentum.
However, Shearer and Lineker told The Rest Is Football that they believe Southampton will win the play-offs following their victory over Leeds, which saw Martin’s side complete the double over The Whites at Elland Road.
“Southampton,” Shearer predicted to win the play-offs this weekend. Lineker concurred with Shearer, saying, “I fancy Southampton – they have a bit of form again, haven’t they, at the right time.”
The injury status of the Leeds squad prior of the Norwich game
Connor Roberts came off the bench and his comeback will be a great boost for Farke and Leeds, but Patrick Bamford is out again owing to a knee injury.
Hopefully, a week without games will allow Bamford to regain his fitness. Pascal Struijk and Dan James appear unlikely to be ready in time for Sunday’s trip to East Anglia.
There is concern about Crysencio Summerville, who had an ankle injury against Southampton over the weekend. It is critical that Leeds get the Championship’s Player of the Season back to full strength.
