Brighton vs Leeds Prediction & Tips
How quickly things can change in the space of one year. Leeds United finished several places ahead of Brighton last Premier League (PL) season (ninth vs 16th), despite losing both H2H clashes (0-1 and 0-2), but this time around the places have been reversed almost precisely. With Brighton now sitting just three points off the top five, and after winning eight of the last nine H2Hs, there should be little fear when Leeds roll in.
That said, after an unsuccessful trip to Aston Villa (L 2-0) soured Graham Potter’s 100th game in charge of Brighton, a seven-game winless run in PL football (D5, L2) now threatens to undo all of their hard work. The ‘Seagulls’ will hope this campaign doesn’t follow a similar trajectory to their return to the top flight in 2017/18, in which they were also performing well in ninth place after 12 rounds only to fall away deep into the bottom half.
Unfortunately for Leeds, their season has been held back by a lengthy period of underachievement, albeit against stronger opposition. They continue to teeter on the edge of the relegation zone in part due to five defeats from five starts as pre-match outsiders, albeit four of them were against clubs placed higher than Brighton at the start of the round.
Whilst Leeds have conceded just six first-half goals all season, including just two from their last seven fixtures, their problems go beyond the first 45 minutes. After defeat at Tottenham in the last round (L 2-1), they became the first club of the PL season to lose twice when leading at half-time (W1, L2).
Players to watch: Neal Maupay is Brighton’s only player to score in two PL home games this season, with both goals being recorded before half-time and in victories. Similarly, Leeds are yet to lose away from home in the PL when Raphinha has opened the scoring (W1, D1).
Hot stat: All but one of the last nine competitive H2Hs have seen just one team score.
Brighton – Leeds FREE TIPS
Leeds – Win @ 3.25
Both teams to score / YES @ 1.80
Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.90
