Kick-off: 1500, 16/10/2021
Stadium: St Mary’s Stadium
Southampton and Leeds are both too close to the Premier League relegation zone for comfort at this stage and a close contest could be on the cards.
Saints have drawn two of their three home matches so far, while United have shared the spoils twice from a trio of road trips.
All that points us towards taking 5/2 for a St Mary’s stalemate as our first Southampton vs Leeds prediction.
A Look At Southampton’s Betting Odds
Southampton actually drew four league games in a row before suffering back-to-back defeats prior to the international break.
Losing 1-0 here to Wolves was a big blow, but Ralph Hasenhuttl won’t have been too disheartened by their display in a 3-1 reversal at Chelsea.
James Ward-Prowse cancelled out Trevoh Chalobah’s early opener with a 61st-minute penalty but his dismissal a quarter of an hour later paved the way for the Blues to pounce late on.
Asked if he would consider tweaking his high-pressing gameplan, Hasenhuttl replied: “Why should we change? I’m not a big fan of parking the bus, even against big teams.
“The way we press also causes problems for even the biggest teams. When we lose, we want to lose with our way that we play.
“This is how I want to see my teams playing. We were close to getting a surprise point and it’s a pity we didn’t.”
Their next opponents also like to be positive, so 31/10 for a score draw is worth the extra risk from the Southampton vs Leeds odds.
Last Saints line-up: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Livramento, Salisu, Bednarek, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Tella, Armstrong, Walcott.
Southampton will be without suspended captain Ward-Prowse so Ibrahima Diallo is likely to get a rare start in midfield.
On-loan Chelsea forward Armando Broja will return to contention after being ineligible against his parent club, but striker Che Adams misses out through injury.
A Look At Leeds United’s Betting Odds
Leeds were able to enjoy the fortnight off after shading Watford 1-0 to record their maiden top-flight triumph of the season.
Diego Llorente marked his return from injury by converting from close range following a corner in the 18th minute.
United dominated from start to finish and should have won by a much bigger margin, as they moved two points above Southampton and three clear of the drop zone.
“Of course, I feel relief,” said Marcelo Bielsa. “Three points from a possible 18 was something to be worried about – independent of what we deserved or not. To win here was a necessity.”
Several Leeds players caught the eye, including deadline-day signing Dan James, who went on to score for Wales against Czech Republic.
“Every time he plays, he plays better than the previous game,” added Bielsa. “He shows resources and qualities that we know he has and he’s going to become an important, special contribution to the team.”
Saints can be vulnerable on the break, so 9/2 for James to score United’s opening goal is added to our Southampton vs Leeds betting tips.
Last Leeds line-up: Meslier, Firpo, Cooper, Llorente, Dallas, James, Phillips, Klich, Shackleton, Raphinha, Rodrigo.
Leeds are set to be without Raphinha, who scored twice for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Friday morning.
Striker Patrick Bamford (ankle) is still out and midfielder Kalvin Phillips will be monitored after withdrawing from the England squad last week due to a calf strain. Defenders Luke Ayling (knee) and Robin Koch (pelvis) remain sidelined.
Additional stats
Last result:
Chelsea 3-1 SOUTHAMPTON – James Ward-Prowse (pen)
LEEDS 1-0 Watford – Diego Llorente
Head-to-head: Southampton 0-2 Leeds, Leeds 3-0 Southampton
Join bwin today and receive up to £20 money back as a FreeBet if your first wager (3+ selections at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater) is a loser! Terms and conditions apply.
