Leeds United's opening-weekend Premier League fixture against Everton has already been labelled 'must-win'.
Chris Sutton expects Leeds United to get an early point on the board when they host Everton on Monday - with a potential goalscorer very familiar to the Toffees.
Leeds kick off their 2025/26 Premier League campaign at home to Everton on Monday with hope the momentum of May’s Championship title win can propel them into a fast start. Daniel Farke’s side enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season and will hope to hand out competitive debuts to a number of exciting new signings including Anton Stach and Lucas Perri, albeit Jaka Bijol is suspended.
There have been seven new arrivals so far but that could soon be eight, with an agreement in principle for free agent striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin revealed on Wednesday. Leeds need to register the 28-year-old by midday Friday for him to be eligible, and there are fitness questions given he’s had no proper pre-season, but former striker Sutton would not be surprised to see him score in a 1-1 draw on Monday.
In his weekly BBC Sport predictions, Sutton wrote: “Leeds boss Daniel Farke is a very underrated manager and his teams always carry a threat - it is their defence I am worried about this season. They will have a real go at Everton under the floodlights and Elland Road is going to be rocking, so this is a tough opening for the Toffees.
“One of the players who left Everton this summer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, looks like he is set to join Leeds this week. We know there is a talent in there, he has just had so many injuries. If Calvert-Lewin joins Leeds in time, it would not surprise me at all if he scores on Monday and gets his new team a point against his old one - wouldn't that be typical? Prediction: Leeds United 1-1 Everton.”
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Paul Merson’s Leeds United vs Everton prediction
Leeds head into Monday’s fixture with confidence but know the gap between Championship and Premier League is larger than ever. All of the last six newly-promoted teams over two years have gone straight back down and Farke’s side are among the early favourites to suffer the same fate.
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With consecutive Champions League opposition in Arsenal and Newcastle United to round off the month, Everton at home is already seen as a hugely important game with Leeds desperate not to fall behind so early on. And former Arsenal midfielder Merson has gone so far as to label the clash ‘must-win’ - although he doesn’t expect Leeds to get their way.
“Leeds will be looking at this fixture as a must-win game,” Merson told Sportskeeda. “Points are going to be in shortage for teams that have come up this season, and like I said before, the opening game is a big leveller for them. If Leeds are unable to win on home turf this weekend, you cannot help but wonder how they are going to get points week in, week out!
“It’s going to be a hard game because Everton are a decent team. David Moyes will set them up pretty well for this fixture too. In the end, I believe Everton will have too much for Leeds. This is the gulf in class you are up against in the Premier League if you’re a newly-promoted team. Prediction: Leeds United 0-1 Everton.”
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