After reaching the play-off final last night, Southampton manager Russel Martin has made an early prediction for the tight encounter.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Get ready for a thrilling Championship play-off final between Southampton and Leeds for a chance at the Premier League!
- Russell Martin predicts a tough yet fantastic football encounter with enormous stakes – the winner will be promoted!
- Both teams have fought hard to reach to this point, and fans are nervous as the big game approaches.
Southampton manager Russell Martin has made an early prediction for his team’s Championship play-off final encounter against Leeds United.
The Saints defeated West Bromwich Albion yesterday night to reach the Championship play-off final, where they will meet Leeds for a spot in the Premier League.
Speaking to the Daily Echo after his side’s victory over the Baggies, he said the game will be nerve-racking for him and his players, but a fantastic piece of football overall.
Russell Martin: It’ll be a great game of football.
While basking in the glory of reaching a play-off final in his first season as Southampton manager, former Norwich City player Martin spoke to the press to express his joy in reaching the final, as well as to make a very early prediction for the game.
Speaking to the Daily Echo, he added, “It’s going to be something to look forward to, as well as a lot of butterflies and anxieties all week. We must manage that with the players and staff. The players deserve it.
“They deserve the opportunity because of how brave they’ve been, how much faith and understanding they now have in what they’re doing, and how much they’ve stuck with it even when it’s been difficult at times.
“I mentioned from the beginning that it would be difficult to change a style of play, a culture, and a club that had a difficult year the previous year.
“They deserved the opportunity, they earned it, they earned everything, and now they must make the most of it. Tonight was a wonderful occasion for us.
“We’ve had so many visitors this season. The fans were fantastic, but we can have a better experience next week. So we need to make sure that is the case.”
Southampton and Leeds make it to the final
With the meeting between the two teams officially confirmed, nerves are expected to be at an all-time high, as this game will have the highest potential stakes.
The Championship play-off final is frequently referred to as “The Richest Game in Football” due to the high sum of prize money at risk for the victor, but it is not all that is available.
Both Southampton and Leeds were relegated from the Premier League at the end of 2022/23, so the winner of this match will have the honor of being promoted back at the first attempt, while the loser will face the humiliation of having to compete again for a potential automatic or play-off promotion spot.
The two teams were part of a four-way battle to reach this dramatic final, with Leeds facing Norwich and Southampton facing West Brom owing to the playoff format.
| Championship standings 2023/24 | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 24 | 87 |
| 5 | West Brom | 46 | 23 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 73 |
In typical play-off tradition, the first legs of the semi-finals were nerve-racking, with both ending 0-0. However, with the shackles off and forced to give their all, both Leeds and Southampton comfortably defeated their opponents.
Leeds defeated Norwich 4–0 on Thursday night, while Southampton eventually defeated West Brom 3–1, setting up the final on Sunday, May 26th.
It will be an extremely long week for both sets of fans, with plenty of nail-biting and jittery nerves undoubtedly coming to the surface, given how much is riding on this game, but because both teams have demonstrated such great goal-scoring feats in their respective semi-finals, next Sunday’s final may be one for the ages.
