Leeds United have been below fellow promoted side Sunderland in the standings all season, but in recent months they have been receiving far more positive reviews than their opponents, who lost momentum by Christmas.
Leeds United
The hosts woke up shortly before that, at the beginning of December. Over the whole winter they have lost only three times, and two of those defeats were by a single goal, including last round’s 0:1 against Manchester City. The only mid-table side to beat them was Newcastle United (3:4). Even in the period when they were losing more often, their opponents scored more than one goal at Elland Road only five times out of 14. For two visiting teams even that was only enough for a draw.
Sunderland
The visitors ended winter by scoring and drawing 1:1 with Bournemouth, who had gone seven league matches without a defeat by that point. Their good spell lasted only for the first half-hour. Régis Le Bris’s team avoided defeat largely thanks to goalkeeper Робен Руфс, who made four saves, and Bournemouth's poor finishing, as they hit the target only five times from 21 attempts. However, the problem is that the poor results are accumulating: this was their fourth match without a win, with an average of 2.0 goals conceded per game.
Leeds United vs Sunderland Prediction
Both the departure of six key players to the Africa Cup of Nations and recent injuries have contributed to the visitors' decline over the course of the season. Granit Xhaka returned to the starting line-up against Bournemouth, but there are still six players in the treatment room, including Nordi Mukiele, who is important both in defence and in attack. All these factors suggest they will lose to the hosts.
