Southampton vs Leeds United
Leeds United got off to a winning start in the new Premier League season as they edged past Wolves last weekend.
And now, the Whites will be looking for back-to-back wins when they travel to St Mary’s to face Southampton.
The two sides were separated by just two points last season as they successfully survived the relegation scrap.
But their Premier League 2022 odds of relegation are among the lowest outside the three newly promoted clubs, so this will be a crucial match that both teams will be desperate to win.
Talking Points
Southampton’s struggles begin
Southampton are a popular pick to be serious relegation strugglers this season, and they did not do much to dispel those fears as they were thrashed 4-1 by Tottenham in their season opener.
Saints took an early lead through captain James Ward-Prowse but surrendered four unanswered goals as they were completely outclassed by Spurs.
Coach Ralph Hasenhuttl started a front two of Adam Armstrong and new signing Joe Aribo up front, with Che Adams – last season’s second-leading scorer with 7 goals – surprisingly an unused substitute.
In the latest Premier League 2022 news, Adams has been linked with a potential move to Everton or Nottingham Forest, so he could very well be left off the starting lineup once again amid his uncertain future with the club.
With Armando Broja gone and Theo Walcott still out injured, Hasenhuttl has very few other options in attack beyond Aribo and Armstrong, who had a disappointing debut campaign last season with just two goals in 23 appearances.
Meanwhile, Hasenhuttl still has a lot of work to do to fix a struggling defence that conceded 67 goals last season, which was the fourth-most in the Premier League.
Leeds new boy shines in win
Leeds United got the new season off to a good start as they edged out Wolves 2-1 in their home opener. After going behind just six minutes into the match, Leeds equalised through Rodrigo and then got the winner through a Rayan Ait-Nouri own goal 16 minutes from time.
Leeds coach Jesse Marsch praised new signing Brenden Aaronson for a strong Premier League debut. The young American was denied a debut goal due to Ait-Nouri’s intervention, but he had a fine performance overall as he displayed the work rate that convinced Leeds to splash over €30m for his services.
Striker Patrick Bamford still doesn’t seem quite at his sharpest in front of goal, but he linked up play well, which is a promising sign as he looks to regain top form. Meanwhile, veterans Rodrigo and Jack Harrison provided the end product in front of goal.
While Leeds are reportedly looking to sign winger Ismaila Sarr from Watford, they will get another winger in Daniel James back after he missed the Wolves match due to suspension.
Leeds still have a bunch of injury concerns at the back, with full-backs Junior Firpo, Luke Ayling, and Stuart Dallas still sidelined, and captain Liam Cooper still a doubt.
That means Pascal Struijk will likely continue to deputise at left-back, with Robin Koch and Diego Llorente the preferred centre-back partnership.
History
Leeds dominated Southampton in their first season back in the Premier League in the 2020-21 season. They did the double over Saints as they won the two matches 5-0 on aggregate. Patrick Bamford scored in both games.
However, Saints successfully avoided defeat in both games against Leeds last season. Southampton won the home fixture 1-0 thanks to a lone Armando Broja goal. And they held Leeds to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road, with James Ward-Prowse cancelling out Jack Harrison’s opening goal.
Betting Tip
SBOTOP odds have Southampton installed as slight 2.29 favourites to get the home win. Leeds are priced at 3.05 to win, while a draw is 3.25.
With Saints’ ongoing struggles on both ends of the pitch, Leeds look more than capable of getting at least a point out of their trip to St Mary’s.
It could be quite cagey, especially with both coaches (Hasenhuttl and Marsch) schooled in the Red Bull system. But Whites should have enough to pick up a positive result.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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