England Premier League
Sunday 2nd January 2022
Kick off at 2pm GMT
Venue: Elland Road
Match Preview:
Leeds will be glad to see the back of 2021, the first half of the year notwithstanding but the club have really struggled this season and will be hoping that 2022 can be a positive start for them.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team come into this fixture having lost 3 games in a row, those defeats have come against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea so on reflection they could have been expected. But that won’t immediately be Bielsa’s worry, it will be how poor his defence has been and in those three games the club conceded an astounding 14 goals.
Despite being mostly poor this season and winning just 3 games Leeds are still five points clear of the bottom three, so hope remains for the club and if they can find a good run they will survive this season. We have to go back to the end of November for the clubs last victory though. At home it’s just two wins although just one defeat in their last five and the majority of their results at Elland Road have finished in draws with four so far from nine games played.
This game will feel like a six-pointer as Burnley are in 18th place with 11 points and trail Leeds by five points. If we believe that Leeds have been poor this season then Burnley are a level below that bar. The club have played some good football though but results haven’t always gone their way and with just 1 victory so far this season they look ripe to go down. However the reality of the situation is win here and they would leave the relegation zone if Watford have lost to Tottenham at the weekend, so it is still very close down there.
The problem for Burnley is that they have failed to win on the road so far and from a possible 27 points they have won just 4. Their last away game finished in a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United and they come into this one having lost their last two on their travels.
Team News:
Leeds: Patrick Bamford has recovered from injury but has a lack of match fitness and remains a doubt. There are no new injuries for the club but the long term ones are mounting up and Jamie Shackleton, Rodrigo, Kalvin Phillips, Charlie Cresswell, Pascal Struijk and Liam Cooper are all unavailable and out long term.
Burnley: Maxwell Cornet could be back but will need to be assessed for match fitness. Ashley Barnes is still out with a thigh injury. Nick Pope and Jay Rodriguez could return after being ill but will be assessed first.
Leeds vs Burnley Head to Head:
Last season Leeds won this game 1-0.
Burnley haven’t beaten Leeds for five years home or away.
It’s been 9 years since Burnley won at Leeds.
There is a 60% chance to see under 2.5 goals.
Leeds vs Burnley Prediction:
We expect to see a close game and nervous one especially from Leeds being the home side and the fans expecting a change in form. Pressure is really mounting on the team after losing three games in a row even if the opposition was strong it does nothing for confidence. It will be interesting to see if Bielsa can change this around but with all due respect to Burnley, Leeds will be hoping that they can get victory here and kick start their survival plans and this is a great chance for them to do it.
Burnley have been poor especially on the road and have a poor recent record over Leeds so we will back the home side. Of course the problem Leeds have is their injury list- one is reminded of West Ham’s poor injury record before David Moyes joined the club, and there does seem to be a recurring theme at Leeds.
The prices in all markets are open and good value as there is little between the clubs but because Burnley are away from home and Leeds really need to establish themselves we believe this could be the bet of Sunday for a home win.
Leeds vs Burnley Betting Tips:
Leeds to beat Burnley at 2.00
Anytime goalscorer: Stuart Dallas at 5.00
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