Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 2: Lee Sobot's YEP video verdict
Leeds United will travel to Premier League rivals Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites will travel to the Etihad Stadium looking to move on from a poor run of form consisting of five defeats in their last six games that has left Daniel Farke’s side sitting in the relegation zone. Despite their impressive performance and result in a 3-0 home win against Liverpool prior to the recent international break, City actually head into Saturday’s game looking to recover from back-to-back defeats after falling to a 2-1 loss at Premier League rivals Newcastle United last weekend before suffering a 2-0 home defeat in a Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.
That means the Whites will have to be wary of the wounded animal as City look to try and claim a win that move to within four points of current league leaders Arsenal, who face a tough looking trip to second placed Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. Saturday’s visit to the Etihad Stadium will kickstart a challenging run of form for Farke and his players as they prepare to face Chelsea and Liverpool in an Elland Road double-header over the following week and it already feels like claiming any return from a difficult trio of games will be an achievement.
Many onlookers have predicted the Whites will be comfortably beaten by a City side containing Leeds-born striker Erling Haaland on Saturday - and two Premier League pundits have suggested the defeats suffered by Guardiola’s side earlier this week will play a big part in their performance this weekend.
What has Chris Sutton said about Man City v Leeds United?
Chris Sutton has shared his take on Wolves' upcoming home match with Burnley.placeholder image
Chris Sutton has shared his take on Wolves' upcoming home match with Burnley. | Getty Images
Writing in his BBC Sport Predictions column, the former Blackburn Rovers striker said: “It was Leeds' home defeat to Aston Villa that cost me in my predictions last week, because I went for a draw, but I was at that game and they could easily have got something from it. It feels like they put so much into the first half, that they were not able to maintain that intensity and, from what I saw, there must also be question marks over whether they are going to score enough goals.
“I am at this game too, for Radio 5 Live, but there is no way I am predicting Leeds to get anything this time. Their home form has been decent, but away they have struggled - and the last time they kept a clean sheet anywhere was the end of August. Manchester City have had a bad week too, with defeats to Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen. Boss Pep Guardiola made 10 changes for the Champions League game with Leverkusen which was a strange thing to do, and it backfired massively because now his team have got work to do to make the knockout stage automatically.
“Before the international break, their recent form suggested they had turned the corner and were going to go on a run to really push leaders Arsenal. Two defeats in a week in two different competitions tells a different story, though. Even so, I don't see City having any problems here. Playing Leeds, at home, is a great opportunity for them to get back on track. This is the game where everyone who does Fantasy Premier League, myself included, is thinking to triple captain Erling Haaland and he will score a barrel load. Sutton's prediction: 4-0”
What has Paul Merson said about Man City v Leeds United?
Former Aston Villa player Paul Merson has given his opinion ahead of their clash against Sunderland.placeholder image
Former Aston Villa player Paul Merson has given his opinion ahead of their clash against Sunderland. | Manchester United via Getty Imag
Writing for SportKeeda, the former Arsenal star said: “I couldn't work out Manchester City's team selection the other day. This is not the City of five or six years ago, when they had two £60 million-worth players for each position. I would have been fine with City making so many changes in the loss to Leverkusen if they were facing Arsenal or Liverpool at the weekend. But they're facing Leeds United!
“Talking about Leeds, I really worry for them this season. Five losses in the last six games and they are not an exciting team. When they were in the Championship, they had the X-factor in Dan James. That's not the case anymore because James is the type of player who is too good for the Championship but not up to the mark in the Premier League! Leeds have been poor away from home and they have a really tough run of fixtures coming up with games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of seven days! Nothing but a comfortable win for City. Merson’s prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Leeds United”
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