Leeds United are in Elland Road action for the final time in the Premier League 2021/22 campaign, where they will be hoping to sign off with three points against Brighton & Hove Albion.
A final day trip to Brentford awaits next weekend, but first up the Whites take on the Seagulls on Sunday afternoon (2pm), where points will be needed in order to climb out of the bottom three in the table.
When the teams last met in late-November, a 0-0 draw was played out at the AMEX Stadium, seeing both teams leave with a point and clean sheet.
Graham Potter’s side come to West Yorkshire with a strong recent record against the Whites. The Seagulls have won five out of their last seven at Elland Road, despite winning just the one in the first 16 trips North!
It’s not just the away record against Leeds that will give optimism to those travelling from the South Coast. Three consecutive wins on the road against Arsenal, Tottenham and then Wolves has seen the club move into the top half of the league.
Jesse March’s side will be hoping to end a three game run of their own, which has seen successive defeats against three teams in the top four of the table. The season conclusion is drawing ever-closer and there is still plenty to play for in the final seven days of the campaign.
The permutations for both clubs are clear - but movement will also depend on results elsewhere. A three-way battle between Burnley (12:00 away at Spurs), Leeds (14:00 at home to Brighton) and Everton (16:30 at home to Brentford) continues and all points will be valuable in the run-in.
The Seagulls have their eyes set on catching 8th placed Wolves in the Premier League table, which would represent a highest ever finish for the club and a big improvement on the 2020/21 16th placed return.
The man in the middle on Sunday is well-known official, Mike Dean. He has taken charge of Leeds twice this season, a 1-1 draw away at Newcastle and a 3-2 win away at West Ham. Overseeing Brighton, Dean has held the whistle in a draw and loss against Liverpool, a draw with Chelsea and a loss to Manchester City.
Sunday’s clash has not been selected for live television coverage within the UK. Live commentary is available as always through LUTV. Alternatively, stay right here on leedsunited.com for updates throughout the match.
Manager/head coach:
Leeds: Jesse Marsch
Brighton: Graham Potter
What has Jesse Marsch said, ahead of the match?
“Our preparation as such is that we feel like we have to win the match. The tricky part is, regardless of the result with Burnley, they have a match to play on Thursday as well. In the end the most points we can pick up in this match will help our situation, so our focus is on winning the game.”
League position
Leeds: 18th
Brighton: 9th
Premier League form
Leeds: WDLLL
Brighton: WLDWW
Top scorer
Leeds: Raphinha (10)
Brighton: Neal Maupay & Leandro Trossard (8)
Head to head
Leeds: 18
Draws: 12
Brighton: 18
A memorable moment against Brighton…
Team news
Jesse Marsch is expecting that both Raphinha and Jack Harrison will be fit to play on Sunday, whilst Patrick Bamford is still being assessed as kick-off draws closer. Luke Ayling and Dan James are suspended, whilst the side still have other long-term injuries.
For Brighton, Enock Mwepu is likely to miss the trip to Leeds on Sunday, along with Jeremy Sarmiento and Jakub Moder. The battle continues up front for a starting place between Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay.
Officials
Referee - Mike Dean
Assistant Referee - Darren Cann
Assistant Referee - Mark Scholes
Fourth Official - Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee - Andre Marriner
A key battle
Raphinha vs Leandro Trossard
Take a look at some important stats between two players who are top of the scoring charts for their clubs going into the final two matches of the season.
Latest odds
Leeds: 8/5
Draw: 5/2
Brighton: 13/8
How to watch
Sunday’s clash has not been selected for live television coverage within the UK. Live commentary is available as always through LUTV. Alternatively, stay right here on leedsunited.com for updates throughout the match.