Leeds United will be hoping to reclaim top spot in the championship on Thursday evening in their fixture against Stoke, a 17:00 kick off at Elland Road.
Both teams have much to play for with Leeds in the title hunt whilst Stoke are battling relegation.
With West Brom knocking the whites off top spot in beating Derby County on Wednesday evening, Leeds are in a serious tussle for the championship title. West Brom currently have a 2-point lead, but as they have played an extra game the title is still in Leeds’ hands. The recent form of the whites has been solid with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss from their last 5 games.
Stoke meanwhile are in the thick of the relegation battle. This match against Leeds is a game in hand over their rivals so could give them a much-needed lift. The Potters are currently just a point away from Hull who occupy the final spot in the relegation zone. A win however would propel them from 20th to 17th and put some daylight between them and their relegation rivals.
Past Meetings:
24/08/2019 Stoke City 0-3 Leeds United
19/01/2019 Stoke City 2-1 Leeds United
05/08/2018 Leeds United 3-1 Stoke City
Team News:
Leeds have no new injury concerns heading into this fixture, but manager Marco Biesla expects winger Helder Costa and the versatile Stuart Dallas to return having both missed out due to injury over the weekend against Blackburn. Although given the 3-1 victory at Ewood Park last time out, the replacements for these two did not significantly weaken the side.
Michael O’Neill’s Stoke have both Joe Allen and Thibaud Verlinden unavailable due to long term injuries, with right back Tom Edwards also a doubt with a foot injury. On the back of a 4-0 victory over Barnsley it is likely O’Neill will keep changes to a minimum.
Prediction:
Despite an impressive performance last time out, I expect Leeds to have too much for Stoke. With automatic promotion not yet a certainty and the title on the line motivation is high for Marco Biesla’s men.
Leeds United 3-1 Stoke City
Match Preview written by Will Edwards
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