Leeds vs. Southampton Predictions: Jesse Marsch's men backed to make it a hat-trick of wins

The Premier League makes a welcome return this weekend and here at BettingOdds.com we’ve got previews for every fixture, including Saturday’s clash between Leeds and Southampton at Elland Road. The hosts will be bidding to continue their pre-international break revival and boost their survival hopes, while the top-10 chasing Saints desperately need to break their losing cycle following a four-game slump...

The international break came at just the wrong time for a rejuvenated Leeds who were brimming with confidence following back-to-back wins over Norwich and Wolves; the latter of which was a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory at Molineux. 

The six-point haul has propelled the 16th-placed Whites seven points clear of danger, although they’ve played three more games than Everton (17th) and Burnley (19th), and one more than Watford (18th).

Despite the untimely two-week break, Jesse Marsch will hope that the momentum bubbles over into April, starting with consecutive key games at home to Southampton and away to relegation rivals Watford.

In contrast, the pause in play came at the ideal time for a stuttering Southampton side that have lost their last four games in a row. Their FA Cup journey is over while a hat-trick of disappointing league losses has seen them slip out of the top-10, however with nine games to go they still have a prime chance of a first top-half finish since 2017. "It is very crucial for our future because finishing in the top 10 gives us more opportunities in the transfer window," Ralph Hasenhuttl said in his presser.

The impetus is definitely with Leeds right now and it’s the hosts who head into the game as the 11/8 favourites for their third straight win, while the Saints are available at 9/5 bring a halt to their losing run. Alternatively, a draw can be found at 11/4.

Leeds have clicked into gear under Jesse Marsch who is on the hunt for his third straight win. They’ve scored five goals in their last two games and will fancy their chances of finding the net against an out-of-form Southampton side with just two league away clean sheets in the last year.

Patrick Bamford will be missing, but Rodrigo has hit a mini purple patch with two goals in his last two games. While Raphinha doesn’t quite boast eye-catching statistics he is undoubtedly the star man and his panache, movement, and pace will surely cause Southampton’s jittery backline all sorts of problems.

Southampton may still be chasing a top-10 finish but you get the feeling that they’re edging towards the beach. After a brilliant return against Spurs and the Manchester clubs, confidence and form abruptly deserted Hasenhuttl’s side who unexpectedly went off the boil in games you’d expect them to win: to return zero points from Aston Villa, Newcastle and Watford is pretty poor.

The travel-shy Saints have won just three away games all season, losing half of their 14 outings, and were thumped 3-0 at Elland Road last season. Another tough afternoon in Yorkshire could well be on the cards.

Leeds to win is our pick at a best-priced 73/50 with SBK, while a win and both teams to score also catches the eye at 16/5 (William Hill), which has been the outcome of their last two wins.

For the second bet we've dipped into the cards market and picked out frequent offender Mohammed Salisu.

While the Saints defender has impressed on the whole season, he's not yet the finished article and still needs to stamp out errors. He can often be rash in the challenge, illustrated in the Man City clash before the international break in which his silly penalty offence turned the game on its head in favour of Pep Guardiola's men.

The Ghanian, who has turned down the chance of an international call-up ahead of the World Cup, has accrued eight yellows and a red in 26 Premier League games so far this season - only three players have more yellows to their name. He's made 34 fouls this season and is highly likely to be in the thick of it in front of a passionate Leeds crowd at Elland Road, with another appearance in the ref's book standing out at 12/5 with BetVictor.