Leeds United vs Crystal Palace. Premier League.
Elland RoadAttendance35,558.
Kalvin Phillips is hoping to retain his place in Leeds' starting line-up; follow Leeds vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel after full-time
Tuesday 30 November 2021 18:52, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Leeds vs Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Tuesday; kick-off 8.15pm.
Kalvin Phillips is hoping to retain his place in Leeds' starting line-up for the home game against Crystal Palace.
Phillips was substituted at half-time during Saturday's goalless draw at Brighton, but boss Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed it was for tactical reasons and the England midfielder is available.
Bielsa has no new injury worries. Patrick Bamford (ankle) and Luke Ayling (knee) are edging closer to a first-team return and are set to appear for the U23s on Monday. Robin Koch (knee) is still out.
Crystal Palace will be without vice-captain James McArthur and Joachim Andersen for the trip to Elland Road.
McArthur is sidelined with a hamstring injury and Andersen had a scan on Monday to determine the extent of a leg issue which had previously been described as a "minor injury".
Ebere Eze could feature in the starting XI after making his first Premier League appearance since May 16 for the last 30 minutes of Saturday's defeat to Aston Villa.
Follow Leeds vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel after full-time.
I want to be against Leeds at the prices in this one. The 19/10 for a Crystal Palace win looks big to me considering all known performance data this season that tells me Palace will be finishing at least six places above Leeds in the Premier League.
That is mostly down to Palace's outrageous expected goals against data which has them down as the second-best defence in the Premier League (12.76) - a figure that is even better than Chelsea's. Yet, Palace have conceded 14 more goals than Thomas Tuchel's team. Imagine where Palace could be if they could defend set-pieces, from which they have conceded 10 goals from. Four more than any other side.
Patrick Vieira's team's process in terms of expected goals for and against has them as the seventh best team in the division. Leeds - mostly due to their woeful defensive numbers - are trending just above the relegation zone. That is the actual case too with only three points separating them from the drop zone.
Marcelo Bielsa is still getting a tune out of his troops in terms of their physicality, which is a very positive sign. Although Leeds' distance covered per game has dipped slightly, they are still amongst the league's better running sides. As for sprints, they are fractionally ahead this season compared to last.
What worries me about this game, is their quality in both boxes, especially at the back - a common theme for Bielsa's teams. Only Leicester and Newcastle have faced more shots on goal than Leeds this season (200).
The injuries to James McArthur and Joachim Andersen do wane my confidence slightly on an away win, so I am happy to get some insurance in my favour by taking the draw-no-bet option on a Palace win at 11/10, meaning we will get our stakes back if it ends a draw.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2
BETTING ANGLE: Crystal Palace draw no bet (11/10 with Sky Bet)
On the latest Essential Football Podcast Alice Piper is joined by Sky Sports football writers Gerard Brand and Ben Grounds to look back on another big weekend at both ends of the Premier League table after Chelsea's lead slipped following a 1-1 draw with Man Utd at Stamford Bridge.
PART 1 | Was Michael Carrick right to opt against starting Cristiano Ronaldo - and should United have signed him at all? United's interim-to-the-interim manager's tactics are assessed ahead of Ralph Rangnick's arrival, questions raised over Chelsea's attacking prowess, while will Arsenal fancy facing this United side next given their own form?
PART 2 | Where does another bad result at Brentford leave Everton boss Rafa Benitez ahead of the Merseyside derby in midweek? Do Liverpool have anything to fear? And the curious case of Marcelo Bielsa and Kalvin Phillips...
PART 3 | Newcastle show Eddie Howe the scale of the task ahead of him with a six-pointer against Norwich next up, Aston Villa grind their way to victory again - and with two points separating the top three, who's going to win the Premier League?