Leeds United: A season-defining match at Elland Road
Leeds United: A season-defining match at Elland Road
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00:00 The second leg is on Thursday evening at Ellander Road.
00:04 Obviously, as you say, the Leeds are favourites. They are at home and it is still 0-0.
00:10 Technically, it's just basically a knockout match here, starting from scratch essentially.
00:15 So, given that, how do you envision it going? Of course, as you mentioned there, no Patrick Bamford, but Dan James is back.
00:22 So, Leeds, nearly at full strength, essentially.
00:26 And given the fact that the performance in the first leg was more encouraging, do you back them to go and do it?
00:33 Oh, it's a hard one to answer that, isn't it? Because I wouldn't want to take fate or anything.
00:38 I suspect they'll probably go through, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they didn't, if that makes sense.
00:44 And going back to what we said at the start of this, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it went to extra time and even penalties.
00:50 I mean, I dread to think how that would feel like in a second leg at Ellander Road.
00:54 I mean, the tension there is going to be absolutely massive to start with, let alone if it goes any further than the initial 90 minutes.
01:01 The first thing I noticed, I thought with this game, was when the first leg finished goalless, straight away looked at the prices for the second leg.
01:09 Leeds were 1-5 to go through. I mean, that is so short. It's unbelievable.
01:14 I mean, I wouldn't quite say this is a 50-50 game because, obviously, Leeds have finished above Norwich in the table.
01:20 They beat them at Ellander Road earlier in the season. No disrespect, but they've probably got a better squad.
01:25 They're at home and stuff. So, hopefully, they're starting to turn a corner again.
01:29 So, there's lots of ticks, obviously, in the Leeds United box and stuff when it comes to assessing their chance.
01:34 So, I don't think it's quite a 50-50 game, but by no means write Norwich off in this. I mean, absolutely no way.
01:41 I mean, there's things you could look at with them and say their away record wasn't very good in the regular season.
01:45 I think they were 19th in the table over the course of the season and purely on results away from home, which obviously is not great at all.
01:52 But, I mean, other things with them. The game that Leeds won 1-0 earlier in the season, as I mean, 1-0 in itself is a very narrow margin.
02:00 Patrick Bamford got the only goal of the game. He won't be there. So, straight away, you look at that.
02:04 Secondly, I remember in that game, Norwich had a massive spell of pressure at possession.
02:08 I think it was at the start of the second half and, you know, like a lot of people left, like, sort of thinking, you know,
02:13 they could be the ones to worry about in the playoffs a little bit and stuff.
02:16 And, yeah, they haven't been very good away from home. They've only lost one of the last seven and stuff.
02:20 And ultimately, also, the other thing which is huge is you look at the game and you kind of think, well, Leeds are at home and you also think the same with Southampton.
02:27 So, that's an advantage and it should be an advantage, but it can also work the other way because, obviously, like you've got everybody there,
02:32 all the expectation, the hope, the pressure, the expectation on it and stuff.
02:35 And basically, Norwich, I wouldn't say it's a free hit, but they're going there as underdogs and not expected to win or get through.
02:41 So, really, really hard one to call. I think team news will be key.
02:45 Obviously, you know, we know there's going to be no Bamford, so we'll have to wait and see what happens up front with that.
02:49 I suspect he might revert back to what it was before with something like Peru up front and Roots airing behind, but we'll wait and see.
02:55 I mean, obviously, Leeds will have to go for it at home. They can't see it back.
02:58 I mean, they're going to have to go for it. But then, you know, you worry about Norwich on the counter.
03:01 Josh Sargent's a huge one for them. Obviously, he went off injured at the weekend.
03:05 It sounds like he'll be back. And that's a really, really big one because, I mean, his movement, and you could imagine his movement,
03:10 especially on the counter when the space is being potentially a big problem for Leeds.
03:14 So, it's very, very, very hard to call. My only thing that I definitely think is that I think that the prices are wrong for it.
03:20 I mean, I'm not saying there should be joint favourites or anything like that. And they have changed a little bit now.
03:24 Leeds are now 1-3. They're about to go through and Norwich 11-4.
03:27 So, you know, Leeds are very, very much red-hot favourites for it. But I just think it'll be very, very tense.
03:32 And the other warning with this is that you can talk about Leeds' home record and, OK, you can talk about it in terms of, like,
03:39 how the home record was during that brilliant run. But, I mean, lately, obviously, you had the Blackburn defeat.
03:45 That's the first warning. Nobody expected that. And you only have to cast your mind back to 2019 against Derby County in the playoffs.
03:51 And this was Marcelo Bielsa's team, obviously, you know. And even then it went wrong.
03:54 And even in that game, they went into it with a 1-0 lead and then went 2-0 up, obviously, for Stuart Dallas.
03:58 And even then, it still didn't go through. So, at no stage, really, during this game or even now ahead of it, can you start to,
04:07 can you think, really, they're there, you know? I think the only time you can think they're there is if it's like 80 minutes and they're 3-0 up
04:12 or something like that. But I don't really envisage that happening. I hope it happens.
04:16 But, I mean, you know, the way that the attacking has been going lately, first and foremost, it'd just be nice to see a goal and go 1-0 up.
04:22 So, very, very hard game. Ashley Barnes is another one, I suppose, for Norwich who could be back.
04:27 He'd be a big player if he comes back. And just huge respect for them.
04:31 If I had to make a prediction, I think Leeds will get through. But I think it'll be very, very close and tense.
04:38 You know, one of those nights where, you know, you won't have any fingernails left or anything, you know,
04:43 like, and you'll need all sorts to probably get through the evening.
04:45 So, maybe something like a 1-0 Leeds or a 2-0 Leeds or something like that, potentially, possibly,
04:50 possibly even an extra time. Who knows? I think it'll be very, very tense.
04:54 But equally, I've got to be brutally honest, I wouldn't be surprised if it went wrong because, like, you know,
04:58 the pressure is going to be absolutely enormous. But we'll stay positive. It's 0-0.
05:02 As you quite rightly say, it's like a 90-minute knockout game. So, keep the faith.
05:06 Let's hope Leeds return to the best. And if they return to the best, then, you know,
05:09 they will go through and they'll beat Norwich. But it's a big if at the moment, isn't it?
05:12 So, yeah, hold on to your hats. Here we go. It's all down to this.
05:16 Certainly, that is the case. It is going to be a tense one. Ellen Ruud, I don't think anyone inside the ground
05:21 will be necessarily enjoying it. I don't think that's the case.
05:25 But it remains to be seen what happens. But we'll be back next week to see whether Leeds have made it to Wembley.
05:32 Wembley.