Southampton vs Leeds United Tips and Predictions
Following their relegation to the EFL Championship, Southampton had a decent start to their 2023/24 campaign, going unbeaten in the opening four matches. However, the next four matches were a full on disaster as the Saints recorded four straight losses, scoring two goals and conceding 12.
Russel Martin, who took charge of Southampton over the summer, will look to turn the situation around on Saturday, September 30 when his team hosts Leeds United. The kick-off is scheduled for 12:30 local time. However, there is not much hope for the home side in our Southampton vs Leeds United tips as the Saints’ problems look too complex to solve in one week.
Both teams to score? Yes
Despite sitting in 15th place, Southampton currently have the worst defence in the 2023/24 Championship, having conceded 19 goals in eight matches. That is five goals more than last-placed Sheffield Wednesday who have failed to record a single win this season.
Southampton’s problems at the back were evident even in the opening for games when, despite winning three and drawing one, they didn't record a single clean sheet. The Saints are decent going forward, though, and have scored 12 goals in the meantime. Adam Armstrong, with five strikes, is the joint top goalscorer in the league.
On Saturday, we expect Leeds United to take advantage of Southampton’s defensive woes. However, the home side should be able to score themselves as there will be immense pressure on them to win following the poor string of results. Bet365’s odds on both teams scoring stand at 1.50.
Over 2.5 goals
Continuing with the same line of thinking as our previous Southampton vs Leeds United tips, we expect a high-scoring game at the St Mary’s Stadium this weekend with at least three goals. Bet365 offers 1.61 odds on over 2.5 goals in the match.
The only Southampton game this season in which there were less than three goals was their 1-0 loss to Ipswich Town on September 20. Compared to Ipswich, Leeds have been a more conservative team under coach Daniel Farke. Nevertheless, the Whites have the likes of Daniel James, Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe in their squad to take advantage of Southampton's poor defence. This, in addition to Southampton’s own talent in attack (let’s not forget Ryan Fraser and Che Adams), should make the match on Saturday an entertaining watch.
Over 10 corners
Since we expect an open-ended game with an abundance of scoring chances, we should also mention corner kicks. Usually this type of games result in a large number of corner kicks being taken, and Bet365 gives 2.20 odds on there being more than 10 corners in the match.
Even in Southampton’s encounter with Ipswich, which we mentioned earlier, there were 12 total corner kicks. Farke will likely encourage his players to be even more daring in attack on Saturday and shoot from outside the box, and every deflection or clearance has the chance to lead to a corner kick. The same is true for Leeds, since they will have to deal with a chaotic Southampton backline. Even a counter-attacking style may bring them three or four corner kicks.
Please remember to always gamble responsibly. Our Southampton vs Leeds United tips are mere suggestions, not a call to action. Always rely on your own judgement first and foremost.