Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has predicted that Leeds United and Aston Villa will share the spoils in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road on Sunday.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have lost their last two matches and sit third in the Championship table, knowing that a top-two finish is now firmly out of their hands after Sheffield United leapfrogged them over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Aston Villa meanwhile have won 10 games in a row and sealed their spot in the play-offs on Monday with a 1-0 victory against Millwall.
Ex-Leeds midfielder Prutton believes that Villa’s winning run will come to an end on Sunday even though they have been in stunning form.
“Where do we start? At one point on Good Friday Leeds were 1-0 up against a Wigan side that were down to 10 men and hadn’t won on the road since August. But they somehow let it slip and then looked bereft of energy and confidence against Brentford on Monday,” said Prutton on the Sky Sports website.
“We are, of course, discussing this before the Sheffield United game, so their promotion hopes could be all-but over by kick-off, but they need to keep on going regardless so they make sure they at least hold on to third. Aston Villa are in exceptional form and have West Brom in their sights, with the possibility of nicking fourth and making sure the second leg of their semi-final is played at Villa Park, which would be huge for them. I think this will be a draw.”
OPINION
Leeds’ clash against Aston Villa is very hard to predict because you have two teams that have experienced very different seasons. Villa were distinctly average at the start, awful around Christmas and then the best team in the Championship since February. Leeds have had pretty much the complete opposite to that, but they remain one of the best sides in the division with, of course, the best manager in Bielsa. It will be interesting to see if Bielsa makes any changes to his starting line-up against Villa. The Argentine has stuck to his guns and only made changes when they have been forced on him for most of the season. However after two defeats in a row, there has to be some questions raised over some underperforming players. Leeds will be without Ezgjan Alioski which will be a major blow for them, but Villa will be without Tammy Abraham. A score draw is probably the best prediction you could make.