Leeds United will face Brighton & Hove Albion in their final Premier League fixture on home soil this season at the weekend, knowing their top-flight status is already secure for next campaign.
That confirmation came after West Ham United were beaten by Arsenal last time out but, despite safety being achieved, Daniel Farke’s Whites still showed great character to earn a point against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening.
Behind in the capital, England international Dominic Calvert-Lewin made it 14 goals in all competitions as he despatched a second-half penalty to ensure the spoils were shared in North London.
United are unbeaten in seven in the Premier League and have won their previous two encounters at Elland Road in emphatic fashion, beginning with a convincing 3-0 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to efforts from James Justin, Noah Okafor and Calvert-Lewin.
The Swiss forward was again on target alongside his strike partner in the 3-1 win against Burnley, making sure of the result after Anton Stach’s stunning long-range drive fired Leeds into an early lead.
Farke’s men sit 14th in the standings, notably eight points clear of the Hammers in the drop zone, and just five adrift of the top half of the table with two matches still to play.
Sunday’s visitors have enjoyed a fine season under German boss Fabian Hürzeler, seventh as things stand but with UEFA Champions League football still on the cards, either by finishing in fifth, or sixth – should Aston Villa be crowned Europa League champions.
While a five-game unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Newcastle United, the Seagulls got back to winning ways to a 3-0 victory over Wolves of their own at the Amex previously.
The meeting pits two of the league’s sharpshooters against one another, with Calvert-Lewin's tally of 13 Premier League goals matched by the evergreen Danny Welbeck, though the Whites’ forward has featured in two fewer ties this term.
The two clubs have met on 52 occasions throughout the years, with Leeds winning 18 of those. In West Yorkshire, the Whites have recorded 11 victories though the two previous encounters have ended all square.
Action from Elland Road gets underway at 3pm.
Last time at Elland Road:
Team News:
Speaking to the media, Farke admitted Okafor, Ilia Gruev, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle remained sidelined. Facundo Buonanotte is ineligible to face his former club while there are doubts over Pascal Struijk (hip) and Ethan Ampadu (illness).
How to follow:
Monthly audio subscribers around the world can listen to every minute of Sunday’s fixture LIVE on LUTV. Bryn Law will be joined by Tony Dorigo on commentary. Pre-match build up begins at 2:30pm with Simon Grayson and Jermaine Beckford in the studio! The match has also been selected for television coverage live in the UK on Sky Sports.
The view from inside the camp:
Speaking exclusively to the media, Daniel James said: “Ultimately, we have achieved our goal this year. I think we have got two big games left to see where we can finish.
“I think personally, it is about staying as fit as I can. I haven’t been available as much so it has been hard to get minutes. I would love to push on with this club of where we want to be.”
Read the full interview HERE.
Lap of appreciation:
Following the conclusion of Leeds United’s final home fixture of the Premier League campaign on Sunday against Brighton & Hove Albion, supporters are asked to remain seated after the full-time whistle.
To thank our fantastic fans for their loyal throughout the season, the first-team squad and staff members will do a lap of appreciation as they show their gratitude to everyone who has travelled up and down the country to cheer the team on.
Find our more HERE.
Don’t discriminate:
Prior to Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United would like to remind supporters we have a zero-tolerance policy towards the use of any homophobic or discriminatory language, chanting, abuse or gestures and condemn this behaviour.
Anyone identified in taking part in discrimination will face a lengthy stadium ban, so please think about your actions and the consequences both individually and for the club.
Find our more HERE.
Important supporter information:
Leeds United would like to make all supporters aware that there will be increased security checks taking place at our last home fixture of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The increased checks are due to the UK terrorism threat level recently being raised to ‘severe’, meaning we must take extra precautions to ensure everybody’s safety. We would like to remind all supporters of our strict bag policy, which you can find HERE.
Discriminatory language or chanting, including homophobic chanting, is not acceptable, and you could be breaking the law. The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
To report an incident, text LEEDS along with any relevant information including ticket details, your name and description of an incident to 60006. You will then receive an automated response which means that your report has been logged and will then be looked into.
Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle dangerous and illegal behaviours within football grounds, and this involves but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour, tragedy chanting, fans entering the pitch, the use of pyros and throwing objects. A list of prohibited items can be found HERE.
What has Daniel Farke said ahead of the match?
League Position:
Leeds: 14th
Brighton: 7th
Top Scorer:
Leeds: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (14)
Brighton: Danny Welbeck (13)
Officials:
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant referees: Stuart Burt & James Mainwaring
Fourth Official: Samuel Allison
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell
Additional Video Assistant Referee: Constantine Hatzidakis
