Leeds United can move to within one point of Everton in the Premier League table when the two sides clash at Elland Road on Wednesday.
Twelfth-place Leeds sit on 29 points following back-to-back wins – four points behind eighth-place Everton.
🔥 How many Goal of the Season contenders is that now? pic.twitter.com/6eGCgOt00I— Leeds United (@LUFC) January 31, 2021
🔥 How many Goal of the Season contenders is that now? pic.twitter.com/6eGCgOt00I
After recording consecutive losses to Tottenham and Brighton without scoring a goal, Leeds beat Newcastle 2-1 last week.
On Sunday, Marcelo Bielsa’s side secured an impressive 3-1 victory over Leicester, with Patrick Bamford bagging one goal and two assists.
Only one team – West Brom – has conceded more league goals than Leeds this season. However, Bielsa’s men are the top scorers in the bottom half.
With nine wins, two draws and nine defeats since gaining promotion from the Championship, it’s fair to say that Leeds have been the most successful promoted side this term.
Meanwhile, a run of five wins in six games between December and January saw Everton climb up the table.
However, the Toffees have since failed to win each of their previous two outings, picking up one point from a possible six.
After drawing 1-1 with Leicester last week, Carlo Ancelotti’s men suffered a shock 2-0 home defeat at the hands of struggling Newcastle.
Despite enjoying 61% possession and racking up 11 shots, Everton were unable to break down a stubborn Magpies backline.
It goes without saying that if the Toffees are serious about challenging for a European spot this season, they can’t afford to lose in that manner to teams straggling at the bottom end of the table.
Head-to-head: Leeds claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in November, with Raphina scoring the only goal of the game on that occasion.
Leeds are unbeaten in their previous three meetings with Everton, although that run does stretch back to 2004, so you can’t read too much into that.
Team news: Diego Llorente, Gaetano Berardi, Rodrigo, Adam Forshaw and Robin Koch are all currently injured for Leeds.
As for Everton, Allan and Fabian Delph are both doubts, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Niels Nkounkou are both sidelined.
Leeds’ games have produced plenty of goals this season, yet Everton are likely to frustrate Bielsa’s men on Wednesday.
Forebet predicts that Everton will keep a clean sheet on their way to victory over Leeds. However, under 1.5 goals are expected.