Leeds United 3 Chelsea 1: Lee Sobot's video verdict
The former Arsenal star has given his prediction on the Premier League clash between Leeds United and Liverpool.
Daniel Farke’s men will head into their clash with the Reds on the back of a fully deserved 3-1 home win against Chelsea in midweek as goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all found the net to help the Whites move three points clear of the drop zone. That advantage was cut to two points on Thursday night as relegation rivals West Ham United claimed a share of the spoils in their visit to Manchester United as a late equaliser from Soungoutou Magassa secured a 1-1 draw for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
However, there can be no doubt the mood is high in the Leeds camp as they prepare to face a Liverpool side that eased to the Premier League title last season. However, the Reds have surprisingly struggled throughout the first half of their title defence and will travel to Elland Road sitting 11 points adrift of current leaders Arsenal after winning just two of their last nine Premier League fixtures.
Their latest disappointment came in an underwhelming display in a 1-1 home draw with Sunderland in midweek as the Black Cats came close to securing what would have been a famous win at Anfield. After falling behind to a fine strike from Sunderland winger Chemsdine Talbi, Liverpool snatched a draw with a late deflected effort from summer signing Florian Wirtz. However, only a last-ditch clearance from Federico Chiesa prevented Black Cats forward Wilson Isidor from landing all three points for the visitors.
One of the main talking points in the aftermath of the Anfield draw was another disappointing display from Liverpool striker Alexander Isak as the former Newcastle United man continues to struggle in his attempts to make an impact following his record-breaking summer move to Merseyside. The Sweden striker racked up his first Premier League goal for the Reds in their win at West Ham last weekend but was almost anonymous in their midweek draw with Sunderland and has received some criticism for a lacklustre performance.
There was a defence of sorts from Arsenal legend Paul Merson as he expressed his surprise over Slot’s decision to replace Isak with Chiesa during the second half of the draw as the Sky Sports pundit delivered his prediction for Liverpool’s visit to Leeds this weekend.
What has Paul Merson said about Leeds United v Liverpool?
The Sky Sports pundit believes the Celtic job is harder than most people think.placeholder image
The Sky Sports pundit believes the Celtic job is harder than most people think. | Manchester United via Getty Imag
He told Sportkeeda: “Leeds United have done well in recent games. That was a massive result against Chelsea and even against Manchester City last weekend, I thought they were very unlucky to not walk away with at least a point after that comeback in the second half. If Leeds can get Elland Road going like they did in the win over Chelsea, they have a chance in this game.
“You know what surprised me during Liverpool's draw against Sunderland? It was 1-1, they were chasing the winner and Arne Slot decided to take Alexander Isak off. I know Federico Chiesa came on as his replacement and produced a great clearance to deny Sunderland the winner, but I find that substitution quite strange. Your main signing, the man you paid the record transfer fee for, taken off when your team needs a goal. I just can't get my head around it!
“Florian Wirtz is slowly showing signs of improvement at Liverpool. I've always said that he needs more games. This is a hard league and you need time to get used to it. The German league is quite open and gives players like him the space to operate effectively. Here, every game is hard. If you look at the Leeds team for example, most of the players in that line-up would be full internationals. You don't see that in a team battling relegation in the Bundesliga. That is the difference. Liverpool need to trust him with more minutes now. I wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool won this game 2-0 or even 3-0. But it's a free swing for Leeds at Elland Road and that makes them dangerous. I'm going for a draw, but if I was forced to pick a team, I'd choose Liverpool. Prediction: Leeds United 1-1 Liverpool”
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