Paul Merson and Sky Sports panel make Championship playoff prediction ahead of Leeds United v Norwich
Paul Merson and the Sky Sports Soccer Saturday panel have made their predictions for the Championship playoffs ahead of Leeds United’s clash with Norwich.
The Whites and Daniel Farke will take on his former club in the first semi-final, with the first leg at Carrow Road (12 May), while Southampton will face off against West Brom in the other semi-final, with the winners meeting at Wembley later this moth for a place in the Premier League.
And when Merson, Clinton Morrison, Darren Bent and Gary Rowett were asked for their predictions as to who would be in the top flight next season while live on air for Sky Sports (11 May), the verdicts were split almost evenly.
“I have got a feeling for West Brom,” Merson admitted. “I have a feeling for them.
“I think they are a decent team, and they have got no pressure on them. I think they will be the one.”
Darren Bent, a former Ipswich striker, admitted he was going with Southampton simply because he couldn’t pick Norwich, before both Rowett and Morrison opted for the Whites.
“I am going to go for Leeds,” Rowett said simply, before Morrison explained his reasoning.
“I think, me personally, I do think it will be a Leeds Southampton final,” he said. I actually do think it will be a Leeds – Southampton final, but don’t shout at the TV, West Brom and Norwich fans.
“It’s a difficult one. Leeds, Southampton. I am going to go for Leeds. Leeds will win it. Just win it. It will be a close final between them and Southampton.”
Leeds United have all the pressure on them
If it wasn’t already glaringly obvious that Leeds were the favourites for the playoffs, then it should be now.
Farke’s side were comfortably the third best team in the division this season and on that logic deserve to go up, but the chaos of the Championship means that isn’t how it works and they still need to earn their spot.
Four defeats in the last six games is not a good way to come into the playoff semi-finals, but Norwich are a team that were beaten both home and away this season and beyond that it’s a one-off game.
Southampton showed they are capable of beating Leeds with a win on the final day of the season, while West Brom had good performances against them this season too, so it certainly won’t be easy.
But that recent form could see the kick up the back-side the squad needed come to fruition and kick them back into gear. If they play to their best, then promotion is theirs to lose.
In other Leeds news, star attacker ruled out of playoff semi-final clash with Norwich after new assessment.
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