Leeds United vs. Brighton
Venue: Elland Road
Kick off: 4PM
Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion will both be seeking a return to winning ways in the Premier League when they face off at Elland Road this afternoon.
The Whites have suffered back-to-back losses in all competitions, while Brighton went down 1-0 to Manchester City last time out in the league to remain in relegation trouble.
The FA Cup may not have been high on Marcelo Bielsa’s priorities for the season – his team selection made that clear – but going down 3-0 to League Two side Crawley Town in the third round will not help with morale.
That defeat came on the back of a 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the league, though Leeds have no reason to panic just yet.
Bielsa’s men beat Burnley and West Bromwich Albion 1-0 and 5-0 respectively in their two games prior to this losing streak, leaving them well clear of the bottom three.
That is not the case for Brighton, who are now winless in nine Premier League games since beating Aston Villa 2-1 on November 21 – the longest winless run of any side in the competition.
Albion put up a good fight in going down 1-0 to Manchester City on Wednesday, with Phil Foden’s strike just before half time proving the difference at the Etihad Stadium.
With Fulham picking up a point against Tottenham Hotspur on the same evening, though, it means Brighton are now just two points above the dropzone, with the Cottagers boasting two games in hand.
Next week’s clash with Fulham has now taken on even more importance, and Brighton cannot afford to head into the game sitting below their opponents in the division.
Leeds, 11 clear of the dropzone, will have their sights set on the top half ahead of games with Albion and Newcastle United in their next two league outings.
This is not a fixture United tend to do that well in, however, having lost seven of their last nine against Brighton, although they did win the most recent encounter between the sides – a 2-0 win in March 2017 thanks to a Chris Wood brace.
Leeds United possible XI: Meslier, Dallas, Ayling, Cooper, Alioski, Klich, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Hernandez, Harrison, Bamford.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible XI: Sanchez, Webster, Dunk, Burn, Veltman, White, Bissouma, March, Gross, Tau, Maupay.
