Out-of-sorts Leeds United feature in a relegation six-pointer going up against Premier League basement boys Southampton at Elland Road. Staying in the Premier League could be worth over £100m in football today which makes recovering from relegation form extremely important, and leads to mid-season managerial changes.
Three days after a disappointing 1-0 defeat at relegation rivals Everton, the Whites released a statement, saying former Watford boss Javi Garcia will be the man to spearhead the club’s battle for top-flight survival.
Leeds parted company with underperforming manager Jesse Marsch after a disheartening 1-0 loss at newly-promoted Nottingham Forest in early February.
Interim boss Michael Skubala impressed on his touchline debut, guiding the Yorkshire outfit to an action-packed 2-2 draw at Manchester United before losing to the same team 2-0 at home in the follow-up.
A woeful winless run of ten league matches (D4, L6) left Leeds hanging two points adrift of safety, and it’s now up to Garcia to pick up the slacks, starting with Saturday’s home game against Southampton.
Unlike their hosts, the Saints have yet to find a permanent replacement for Nathan Jones, who was relieved of his duties following a ponderous 94-day tenure (W1, L7).
But Southampton may not have to look outside their backyard for Jones’ successor as caretaker boss Ruben Selles excelled on his top-flight debut, helping the south coast club upset the odds at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Another sublime free-kick coming from James Ward-Prowse’s kitchen helped the rock-bottom side see off the Blues 1-0 in London, increasing Selles’ chances of earning a permanent role at St Mary’s Stadium.
Per the Daily Mail, the 39-year-old has set his sights on becoming Southampton’s full-time manager after winning over the dressing room and St Mary’s faithful.
Match Preview
Leeds United
Garcia’s first assignment as a new Leeds manager is to arrest the longest ongoing winless streak in the Premier League, accounting for the Whites’ worst run without a top-flight victory since 1947.
Starting this round in the relegation zone may not necessarily be a bad omen for the hosts, given that they’ve racked up four wins from their last six Premier League matches when being in a similar position (D1, L1).
Southampton’s visit to Elland Road also bodes well, with Leeds going unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 home encounters against the Saints in England’s elite division (W7, D6), most recently going down in 1998.
Southampton
Since that victory 25 years ago, Southampton have gone eight straight Premier League visits to Leeds without winning (D3, L5), though they did hold them to a 1-1 draw in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.
Some traditions are made to be broken, and with four of the Saints’ five league triumphs this season arriving on hostile turf, Selles’ men will firmly believe it’s time to conquer Elland Road again.
But based on Southampton’s away fortunes this Premier League campaign (W4, L8), this match could still go either way, with the Saints remaining the only side alongside Leicester City yet to draw on the road.
Leeds United vs Southampton Potential Line-ups
Leeds United (4-2-3-1): Illan Meslier; Luke Ayling, Robin Koch, Maximilian Wober, Junior Firpo; Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie; Jack Harrison, Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville; Patrick Bamford.
Southampton (4-4-2): Gavin Bazunu; Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romain Perraud; Stuart Armstrong, James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Carlos Alcaraz; Kamaldeen Sulemana, Paul Onuachu.
