Leeds United vs. Tottenham
Venue: Elland Road
Kick off: 12:30PM
Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to give their chances of a top-four finish in this season’s Premier League a boost when they travel to Leeds United this afternoon.
Spurs are currently sixth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea on the same number of games (34), while Leeds occupy 11th position in England’s top flight, just two points off ninth-placed Arsenal.
Leeds have impressed many on their return to this level of football, and there is no question that it has been a successful campaign for the club, who currently sit 11th in the table, just two points behind ninth-placed Arsenal as they bid to secure a top-half finish.
The Whites, who have won 14, drawn five and lost 15 of their 34 matches this term, will enter Saturday’s contest off the back of a 2-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on May 1, with Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck scoring the goals at the Amex.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side had been on a six-game unbeaten run in England’s top flight entering the clash with Brighton, though, holding Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United to draws, in addition to recording victories over Fulham, Sheffield United and Manchester City.
Leeds have a relatively kind finish to the season on paper, facing Burnley (A), Southampton (A) and West Bromwich Albion (H) in their final three fixtures, and while eighth position seems unlikely, there is no question that ninth is open at this stage of the campaign.
Tottenham, meanwhile, will enter this afternoon’s contest off the back of a 4-0 win over Sheffield United last weekend; Gareth Bale scored three times for the North London club, while Son Heung-min was also on the scoresheet during a strong performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs are still in the argument for a top-four spot, but they will need a lot to go in their favour in the final weeks of the season, with five points separating them from fourth-placed Chelsea on the same number of games (34).
Tottenham have now won both of their league matches under Ryan Mason, who certainly appears to have given the team more freedom to attack, which was not always the case with Jose Mourinho at the helm.
Spurs are working hard to identify a long-term replacement for Mourinho, but they cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in the Premier League, and it seems likely that four victories will be needed to give them a realistic chance of sneaking into the Champions League positions.
The capital outfit will face Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Aston Villa (H) and Leicester City (A) in their final three fixtures, and the trip to the King Power Stadium on the final weekend of the campaign could yet prove decisive as a fascinating race for the Champions League spots enters its final stages.
Leeds United possible XI: Meslier, Ayling, Llorente, Cooper, Alioski, Koch, Harrison, Phillips, Roberts, Dallas, Bamford.
Tottenham possible XI: Lloris, Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon, Lo Celso, Hojbjerg, Son, Dele, Bale, Kane.