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Leeds logo
Premier League | Gameweek 27
Feb 26, 2022 at 12.30pm UK
Elland Road
Spurs logo

Leeds
0 - 4
Spurs


Klich (52'), Dallas (53'), Firpo (54'), Rodrigo (77')
FT(HT: 0-3)
Doherty (10'), Kulusevski (15'), Kane (27'), Heung-min (85')
Sessegnon (48'), Conte (63'), Davies (89')

Preview: Leeds United vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League clash between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two teams seeking to bounce back from demoralising midweek Premier League defeats will lock horns at Elland Road on Saturday, as Leeds United play host to Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool put six unanswered goals past the Whites in midweek, while Antonio Conte's side could not unlock the door against Burnley in a 1-0 defeat.


Match preview

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa during the match on February 20, 2022© Reuters

There is no shame in coming out second best at the fortress that is Anfield, but the manner in which his side capitulated surely concerned Marcelo Bielsa, as the Leeds boss witnessed his side go down 6-0 to the title-chasing Merseysiders.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both struck braces for Liverpool on the day, while one of Joel Matip's mazy forward runs finally ended in a goal and Virgil van Dijk scored the easiest header he will ever score to round off an emphatic Reds victory.

Bielsa admitted after the encounter that the threat of relegation is starting to worry him, as Leeds and their leaky defence now occupy 15th spot in the rankings - just three points above Burnley, who have experienced an upturn in fortunes - having played two games more.

The Whites' tally of 56 goals conceded represents the worst defensive record in the Premier League this term - with 16 of those strikes being shipped in their last four games - and it is now three successive defeats for this confidence-depleted Leeds side.

Furthermore, three of Leeds' most recent four Premier League games at Elland Road have ended in defeat as they endeavour to pull off a surprise result against Tottenham, but the visitors' confidence also took a mammoth hit in midweek.

Antonio Conte in charge of Tottenham Hotspur on February 9, 2022© Reuters

It has taken all of four months for the cracks to appear between Antonio Conte and Tottenham, with the ex-Chelsea and Inter Milan boss hinting that his stay might not be a long one after overseeing a 1-0 defeat to 18th-placed Burnley on Wednesday night.

With Tottenham largely struggling to test Nick Pope as Harry Kane rattled the woodwork, a resilient Burnley stood firm and earned their rewards as Ben Mee beat Cristian Romero in the air to head home the winner from Josh Brownhill's pinpoint cross.

Conte cut an emotional figure after the defeat - one which leaves eighth-placed Spurs seven points off the Champions League places with two games in hand on Manchester United - and admitted that the club should make "an assessment" on his future.

It is extremely difficult to see Spurs cutting their losses on the Premier League and Serie A title-winner, even though he has now lost four of his last five in the top flight with Tottenham, and one can only begin to fear for Conte should his side fail to respond on Saturday.

Furthermore, Spurs have lost on their last two visits to Elland Road - going down 2-1 in the 2012-13 FA Cup before a 3-1 league defeat last term - but they did run out 2-1 winners over Bielsa's side in North London earlier this season.

Leeds United Premier League form:
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • L

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L



Team News

Leeds United's Robin Koch applauds the fans as he is substituted off after sustaining an injury on February 20, 2022© Reuters

Leeds remain without the services of Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper and Sam Greenwood, but Diego Llorente should be back from a hamstring strain which caused him to miss the Liverpool loss.

Some predicted Llorente to be dropped in any case given his below-par outing against Manchester United, and Robin Koch has recovered from the head injury he sustained against the Red Devils.

Bielsa's hand is therefore forced in several areas, but the Whites boss should consider bringing Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton back into the XI in a bid to freshen things up.

Meanwhile, Spurs have been handed a fresh concern with January signing Rodrigo Bentancur, who was taken off at half time after suffering an awkward fall in the torrid conditions at Burnley and will not take part on Saturday.

Sergio Reguilon was fit enough for a place on the bench and could now displace Ryan Sessegnon, but Pierluigi Gollini is a doubt due to illness, while Oliver Skipp (groin) and Japhet Tanganga (knee) are fighting uphill battles to recover from their injuries.

Conte may elect to re-introduce Lucas Moura to the first XI this week, in turn allowing Dejan Kulusevski to move into a wing-back role as Emerson Royal drops out of the side.

Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Ayling, Struijk, Llorente, Dallas; Koch, Forshaw; Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison; Roberts

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Kulusevski, Winks, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Lucas, Kane, Son


SM words green background

We say: Leeds United 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur

Leeds cannot welcome Bamford and Phillips back to the team soon enough, but while their two key English stars remain absent, Spurs can give themselves a much-needed injection of confidence on Saturday.

Facing the league's worst defence will be music to the ears of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who should help to relieve some of the pressure on Conte's shoulders at Elland Road.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



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Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Tottenham Hotspur win with a probability of 37.25%. A win for Leeds United had a probability of 36.67% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Tottenham Hotspur win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.39%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.26%) and 0-2 (6.26%). The likeliest Leeds United win was 1-0 (9.3%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.39%). The actual scoreline of 0-4 was predicted with a 0.9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Tottenham Hotspur would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Leeds vs Spurs

Leeds United
17.0%
Draw
14.0%
Tottenham Hotspur
69.0%
200
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Leeds United's Robin Koch applauds the fans as he is substituted off after sustaining an injury on February 20, 2022
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7Aston Villa167452425-125
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9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


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