Premier League: Resurgent Leeds Look to Sting Slumping Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur vs Leeds United

What a difference a couple of weeks has made for Leeds United. After being in the relegation zone following four consecutive defeats with the pressure piling on coach Jesse Marsch, the Whites are quickly up to midtable in the Premier League after a couple of dramatic victories.

The Whites will be looking to enter the World Cup break with their third straight win as they visit Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs are suddenly in a slump, losing three of their last four league games. But the Premier League 2022 betting odds will still back Antonio Conte’s side on home soil.

Talking Points

Conte’s Spurs limping to World Cup break

The World Cup break is coming at a good time for Tottenham, who need to regroup after losing three of their last four league games and sliding down to fourth.

And even in the game they did win against Bournemouth, they needed a furious comeback from two goals down, as well as a stoppage time Rodrigo Bentancur winner to grab all three points.

Antonio Conte’s side have looked unconvincing for much of the season, and the Italian has thus far been unable to find the answer to their problem. He has tried changing formation from his patented 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2, but it has not been particularly successful.

The absence of both Son Heung-Min and Richarlison has only added to their problems in attack. Although, Dejan Kulusevski finally made his return from a lengthy injury layoff against Liverpool and supplied the assist for Harry Kane’s consolation goal.

Conte has also turned to Yves Bissouma to provide a spark in midfield in the last couple of games, although the Malian has yet to impress.

Conte is likely to make wholesale changes to his side for their Carabao Cup clash against Nottingham Forest, with the likes of Kane, Hugo Lloris, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg set to be rested in midweek.

Leeds back on track after dramatic wins

After being in crisis mode and dropping to the relegation zone just a few weeks ago amid a run of eight games without a win, Leeds United have life again. Jesse Marsch’s men have reeled off back-to-back league wins for the first time this season, and they’ve done so in incredibly dramatic ways.

First they went to Anfield and beat Liverpool 2-1 thanks to a Crysencio Summerville strike one minute from time.

And their match against Bournemouth was even more bonkers. After going ahead through another early Rodrigo goal, they went down 3-1 at home. But they staged a furious comeback, scoring three goals in the last half hour, and young Summerville was again Johnny-on-the-spot to score the winner.

Summerville and Rodrigo have been instrumental to Leeds’ recent resurgence as they’ve provided most of their Premier League 2022 highlights. Rodrigo has scored the opening goal in each of Leeds’ last three league games and is up to seven goals on the season.

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Summerville has also scored three in a row, a run which has coincided with Marsch finally inserting him into the starting lineup.

Luis Sinisterra, whom Summerville has replaced in the starting lineup, is still working his way back to fitness. But even if he is ready to play again, Summerville has earned that starting spot with his fine performances.

History

Tottenham and Leeds have been evenly matched in their historical head to heads. Spurs hold a slight 39-33 edge in wins, with 29 draws.

It’s even tighter in the Premier League era, though. The two sides are level at 11 wins, with six draws. Tottenham have won three of the four games since Leeds returned to the Premier League. They did the double over Leeds last season, including a 4-0 thrashing at Elland Road that was their biggest away win over the Whites.

Betting Tip

SBOTOP odds have Tottenham installed as 1.60 favourites to win at home. Leeds are priced at 5.40, while a draw is 3.90.

Leeds will certainly be buzzing and high on confidence after their back-to-back big wins. Things still aren’t completely solved – as the first half of the Bournemouth match can attest – but they have shown a fighting spirit that is encouraging to see.

With Spurs missing Son and struggling for form, Leeds have a legitimate shot to get something out of their trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With the energy they play with, they can cause Antonio Conte’s side some problems.

 

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