Paul Merson predicts Leeds United game v Crystal Palace in Premier League
Paul Merson has backed Leeds United to beat Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday 09 April as the teams clash at Elland Road.
The Sky Sports pundit has backed the Whites to make it consecutive wins with a 1-0 victory against the Eagles, who will be without Wilfried Zaha in West Yorkshire.
Leeds climbed to 13th in midweek after beating Nottingham Forest 2-1, with another big three points likely to create a gap to the bottom three.
Writing in his latest Sportskeeda column, Merson believes that Javi Gracia has got the big calls right at Elland Road over the last couple of weeks.
“Wow,” he wrote. “This is a big game. I like what Leeds United did the other day.
“They played against Arsenal and knew they weren’t going to win, so they rested a few players and then took their chances against Nottingham Forest. It worked a treat. That’s what teams have got to start doing now at the end of the season.
“This is a good game for Crystal Palace because they’ve got some ballers as well, and Leeds open the game up. I think Palace will sit back in this fixture. Leeds are not too far away from being safe, and I think they can beat Crystal Palace this weekend.”
Needed.
One win is not enough when things are so tight in a relegation battle, you have to make it consistent.
Two wins on the bounce can create broad daylight in the Premier League, and if results go Leeds’ way and they then win against Palace, it could be a five-point gap to the drop zone.
That would be huge, and it could see them start to create gaps rather than being involved in this tug-of-war with eight teams all fighting for their lives.
Nottingham Forest have a mountain to climb now and if Palace leave Elland Road with nothing, they could be dragged into it more, although they have easier fixtures after.
Leeds are much more organised now, and they will have to be to stop Roy Hodgson’s side, who will likely play on the counter this weekend with their pace and flair.
If we can dominate the ball and put our chances away better, it could be a much easier watch than Tuesday night was, as we made it hard for ourselves.
Three points are a must.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites will reportedly be without four first-team players for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace this weekend.