There is a truncated weekend of Premier League action to go into the international break from because of the FA Cup quarter finals but it all begins on Friday night when there is an important match in the division taking place as Fulham host Leeds United.
Leeds United are safe in the sanctum that is mid-table in the division but this is a chance for Fulham to come out of the relegation zone ahead of the two sides immediately above them meeting on Saturday evening.
Where to watch
The match will be shown in full on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels with the lead up to the contest beginning at 7.30pm and kick off coming at 8pm.
Fulham
At the beginning of the season it looked like Fulham were going to be out of their depth at this level once again however the longer the campaign has gone on the better they have looked. They still haven’t pulled themselves out of trouble but you get the impression that they will stay up now. A win here would go a long way to helping as it would really pile the pressure on both Brighton and Newcastle on Saturday evening.
The main reason why Fulham are now tipped to remain in the division is the fact that they have tightened up so much defensively. They were scoring goals earlier in the campaign but conceding them at a crazy rate, as evidenced by the fact these two played out a 4-3 in the reverse meeting at Elland Road at the beginning of this term. While goals are more at a premium now they are not conceding as many and look much more secure as a result.
Leeds United
For a first season back in the Premier League after such a long time away from the top flight to be going into the final 10 matches with no relegation fears and the pretence of finishing as high up as they can in the division, this has to be classed as a very successful campaign for Marcelo Bielsa and his men. They have been the great entertainers all season and if they continue to improve beyond this term then the future is very bright at Elland Road.
We are at that stage of the campaign though where the same question comes along for the Whites. That is whether the high intensity they play at has left them low on petrol. Those questions are magnified by the fact that they haven’t scored in four of their last five games and just look a little more off the pace than they have usually been. Injuries will account for a lot of that as has loss of form of one or two but they wouldn’t mind a convincing display here to stop those questions being thrown at them.
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Team News
Scott Parker has declared that he has no new injury issues to deal with ahead of this match. That means the only senior player he will be without is the club captain Tom Cairney who is still being sidelined by a knee issue.
Patrick Bamford was replaced early in the 0-0 with Chelsea last week but Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is expected to have him available for this game. Liam Cooper is definitely out though and there is a doubt over Rodrigo.
Betting
Leeds United fans might be a bit anxious about this game because as I’ve highlighted before in recent times, their record in London is absolutely abysmal and I’m not convinced that it is going to improve any here against a Fulham side who are a much different one to the one which Leeds beat 4-3 in that highly entertaining reverse fixture. The only doubt I have about backing Fulham is they don’t score as many as I would like, with them finding the net just five times in their last nine matches.
I’m in no rush to back a tired looking Leeds side who themselves have stopped scoring with four blanks in their last five matches so I believe the best bet in this match is under 2.5 goals. If I was pushed to back a winner it would be Fulham but I certainly don’t see them scoring three like they did at Elland Road. I fancy if there is a first goal in this game whoever gets it will then control the contest. Rather than guess who gets it I’ll happily take under 2.5 goals in this one.
Tips
Back Under 2.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with William Hill
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