‘Way below’ - Pundit’s surprise Leeds United v Liverpool prediction
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Chris Sutton has weighed in on tonight’s Premier League cash between Leeds United and Liverpool, and believes the hosts could be in for some good fortune.
The Whites will be vying for a positive result to keep them away from the bottom three, with just two points currently separating them from the drop zone. They will also be looking to lift momentum after suffering a 5-1 loss to Crystal Palace last time out.
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Hide AdHowever, Liverpool will also be entering a must-win match as they continue their fight to secure European football at the end of the season. Despite being eight places below tonight’s opposition, Sutton believes Leeds can capitalise on some key weaknesses and come away with a point.
Sutton backs Leeds to get result against Liverpool
Writing in his latest Premier League predictions column for BBC Sport, Sutton admitted he found the result ‘impossible to call’ as both teams have a huge amount resting on this evening’s clash.
The former forward has predicted a 1-1 draw to be on the cards at Elland Road, which would be a crucial result to see Leeds pull away from Everton and Nottingham Forest, who are both on 27 points in 17th and 18th place respectively.
“Which Leeds side will turn up, and for how long... and what kind of performance do we get from Liverpool this time?” he pondered.
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Hide Ad“Leeds were actually really good in the first half against Crystal Palace last week but they completely collapsed after the break. Liverpool kind of did the opposite against Arsenal, making such a poor start before fighting back.”
Sutton highlighted Jurgen Klopp’s main point of weakness this season and tipped Leeds to make the most of the opportunity.
“Liverpool’s defence and midfield has been a long way below their best this season, but their attack has still been a handful — so surely Leeds won’t keep them out.
“Equally, you just don’t know what you are going to get from the Reds defensively at the moment - I don’t see them keeping a clean sheet either, even against a team who seem to waste a lot of chances.”
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Hide AdLeeds looking to pull away from relegation battle
Leeds claimed all three points against Liverpool back in October in a tense 2-1 victory, so the idea of them coming away with another positive result is not an outrageous one.
Rodrigo struck first after just four minutes to take the lead at Anfield, only for Mohamed Salah to hit back ten minutes later. It looked to end all square but Crysencio Summerville popped up with the winning goal in the 89th minute.
Since then, Liverpool have had a mixed bag of results, ranging from their 7-0 demolition of Manchester United, to a 3-0 loss at the hands of Wolves.
The Reds are without a win in their last four matches, having lost to Bournemouth and Manchester City before tallying a draw against both Chelsea and Arsenal.
Javi Gracia will be hoping his side can make the most of this inconsistency and cause an upset to the former Premier League champions.
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