Leeds United face arguably their toughest game of the season to date as they host Chelsea at Elland Road on Sunday. The Whites will be putting their unbeaten start to the campaign on the line after earning four points from their opening two matches.
Jesse Marsch’s side actually enter the game above their opponents on goals scored, with Chelsea also having picked up four points. The Blues have beaten Everton and drawn to Tottenham Hotspur so far and will be looking to exact the frustrations of last weekend out on Leeds.
According to FiveThirtyEight, a website that uses data to predict sporting outcomes, Leeds have just a 17% chance of winning on Sunday. Chelsea, on the other hand, are overwhelming favourites at 62%.
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Pundits from across the media have also been giving their views on how they see the game going, and LeedsLive have rounded a few of them up.
Chris Sutton – BBC Sport
In his latest BBC Sport predictions column, Chris Sutton is expecting Leeds’ unbeaten start to come to an end. He said: “Leeds boss Jesse Marsch will have been deeply disappointed to see his side pegged back by Southampton after going two goals up, and I think he might have to deal with another setback here.
“There are still a few question marks over what is going on with Chelsea up front, and they keep getting linked with new players too, but they were excellent against Spurs last week.
“If they play like that at Elland Road, they will win.”
Prediction: Leeds 0-1 Chelsea
Paul Merson – Sportskeeda
Paul Merson of Sportskeeda is also expecting Chelsea to come out on top at Elland Road. He said: “Leeds United got three points on the opening weekend of the Premier League season but blew a two-goal lead against Southampton last time around.
“Chelsea were outstanding against Spurs and were unlucky to come out with just a point from the London derby, but goalscoring seems to be a bit of an issue for Thomas Tuchel at the moment.
“Despite their dominance, Hugo Lloris made just one save last weekend - one from Kai Havertz in the first half. I still expect them to beat Leeds United because ultimately, their class will prevail. But when you look at the grand scheme of things, you can't help but wonder where their goals are going to come from.
“Marc Cucurella was very good against Spurs - he passed the ball around nicely and didn't get caught out defensively. Last season, I fancied Chelsea to win the Premier League title but after injuries to Ben Chilwell and Reece James, they crumbled and couldn't recover on time to compete against Manchester City and Liverpool.
“With Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek available as deputies to James and Cucurella set to fight it out with Chilwell for a spot on the left flank, Chelsea are well covered on that front this season.
“Finally, the refereeing in the London derby last weekend simply wasn't good enough. A million ex-Premier League footballers are not working at the moment - put them in the VAR office! I know referees are trained to do their jobs, but they haven't played the game and have been guilty of making several wrong decisions over the years.
“How can you let hair-pulling go because it isn't specifically condemned in the rule book? There isn't a rule that says you can't shoot someone on the football pitch, but that doesn't mean it's allowed?”
Prediction: Leeds 0-2 Chelsea
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