Southampton v Leeds Betting Tips [30 September 2023]
Football - Championship
30 September 2023 7:30
The match
A clash between two of last season’s relegated Premier League clubs sees 15th-place Southampton taking on sixth-place Leeds for matchday nine of the Championship. The wheels have come off for Southampton after a bright start to the season. The Saints won three and drew once in their first four Championship fixtures but now find themselves on a run of four straight defeats. The most recent disappointment saw Southampton surrender an early goal advantage to ultimately lose 2-1 to Middlesbrough. They now return to St. Mary’s Stadium where they have only managed to win once in four league outings. Under-fire manager Russell Martin will have to sort out his team’s defending as the Saints have looked helpless at the back in recent showings. They’ve already had three games this season where they’ve allowed four or more goals to be scored against them.
Leeds come into this fixture in better shape than their opponents but still leaving a lot to desire. A 19th-place finish in the top-flight last year ended their three year Premier League run and it’s been a slow start to life in the Championship. Leeds have managed three wins and four draws with only a single loss in their first eight league fixtures. Following an embarrassing penalty shootout loss to League Two side Salford in the Carabao Cup, Leeds have bounced back with four games unbeaten. Their defensive solidity has been impressive during that time as they have kept four consecutive clean sheets. The last away outing for the Whites saw them draw 0-0 with Hull. However, Leeds were the superior side before having a player sent off in the 62nd minute. Leeds’ most recent appearance saw them record a comfortable 3-0 home win over Watford in a match that they dominated.
Key Statistics
- The last away performance by Leeds saw them create 1.25 expected goals while allowing Hull just 0.02 in the first 45 minutes (before the red card).
- Southampton have allowed a massive 20 clear cut scoring chances in their last four games alone.
- The hosts have allowed 12 goals in their last four matches, conceding two or more in three of those four.
- Leeds have scored seven goals as the away side in their last three league fixtures, eclipsing the 1.5 goals total in three of two of those three trips.
- At 19 goals allowed through eight matches (2.8 average), Southampton have conceded the most in the Championship.
The bet of our experts
Leeds are playing better football at the moment and are the team in better form. With a string of impressive defensive displays and some convincing attacking performances, it’s understandable why the oddsmakers favor the away team. It’s hard to get behind Southampton currently with the inconsistency they are showing on defense. This team does not look capable of stopping anybody at the moment and we certainly aren’t expecting that to change against Leeds. The visitors should be able to net at least two against this struggling defense. Our Southampton vs Leeds prediction is for Leeds to score over 1.5 team goals.
