The Premier League weekend concludes with the Monday Night Football, which this week comes from Elland Road where Leeds United look to pull further clear of the danger zone when they entertain Liverpool.
The atmosphere at Elland Road is sure to be highly charged under the floodlights, particularly with the home side needing the points. Liverpool aren’t really playing for anything unless they want a minor European campaign next term.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Monday Night Football show which airs on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League channels. The programme begins at 7pm and kick off comes at 8pm.
Leeds United
This has been a real rollercoaster campaign for Leeds United and consistency is something they have continually strived for rather than achieved. They are onto their second manager after the services of Jesse Marsch were eventually dispensed with and under Javi Gracia they have a 3-1-3 record. Even that might not seem like much, but the important thing for Leeds is the three wins have come against teams around them in the table, which at this stage of the campaign are the ones they need to be coming out on top in.
The positive for Leeds as they look to pull off a late survival bid for the second campaign in succession is that only Leicester City in the bottom half of the table have scored more goals than them. The negative is that only Leicester and Nottingham Forest have conceded more than them after the five the Yorkshire outfit shipped to Crystal Palace last week. Leeds did shock Liverpool in the reverse meeting though which might give them some confidence here.
Liverpool
I think there were concerns heading into the season about how sustainable the relentless form of Liverpool was but I don’t think anyone saw the drop off that we have seen this term be quite so alarming. They have gone from being title challengers to potentially not even making Europe in the space of a few months. The numbers are one thing but our eyes tell us they are nothing like the team we have seen for the last five years or so.
You get the impression that this season ended for Liverpool from a competitive standpoint when Real Madrid took them apart in the Champions League recently and they head across the Pennines without a win in their last four matches. On the face of it, a 2-2 draw with Arsenal last time out looks a positive result but until Granit Xhaka got the crowd going it was one of the more impotent displays we’ve seen from a Liverpool team under Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool have won just one of their last eight away matches and that was at Newcastle whose goalkeeper was sent off in the opening period.
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Team News
Leeds United are hoping to have defender Max Wober back for this match after a hamstring issue has kept him out of the last three matches. They will be without Tyler Adams though as he is continuing to battle an injury.
Liverpool are expected to have Luis Diaz back in the squad for the first time since the World Cup. He is likely to be involved from the bench if he is fit. There were concerns over the fitness of Alisson and Ibrahima Konate but both are likely to be fit.
Betting
Liverpool have been terrible away from home this season, particularly in 2023, and their 14 away goals in 15 away matches doesn’t suggest we are going to get a goal fest here but I just refuse to believe that they can’t find the back of the net against a Leeds team who have just shipped five to a Crystal Palace side who were among the lower scoring sides in the league when they embarked on Elland Road last weekend.
Going the other way though, you’ve got to think that Leeds United will trouble the scorers here. In their last two matches, albeit against Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool have coughed up xGA totals of 2.55 and 1.73 and had it not been for Alisson saving them on a number of occasions their defensive record would be a lot worse than it is. There have been three or more goals in four of the five meetings between these two since Leeds returned to the Premier League and if that trend continues, which I think it will, then we are guaranteed a push on the over 3 goals line. I expect it to be covered though.
Tips
Back Over 3 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Bet365
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