Leeds go head-to-head against Norwich on Thursday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.
This match will be played on 17/05/2024 at 03:00
HAVING held out for a draw in the first meeting. Leeds United host Norwich City in their Championship playoff semi-final second leg. Elland Road served as a fortress for much of the regular season. And with Norwich a bit erratic on their travels, a home win is expected here.
Players to watch: Joel Piroe the focal point
Leeds United lacked an attacking focal point for much of the first leg with Patrick Bamford out injured and Joel Piroe starting from the bench. Piroe is likely to feature from the start on Thursday and having scored 13 Championship goals this season. Could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 7/5 with ABCJILI.
Josh Sargent had a quiet outing in the first leg but remains the biggest attacking threat for Norwich City having scored 16 goals during the regular season. The forward is priced at 7/2 by abcjili to find the net on Thursday.
Probable line-ups
Patrick Bamford remains sidelined but Joel Piroe is likely to feature from the beginning on Thursday having come off the bench in the first leg. Daniel James was also a second half substitute at Carrow Road and could be handed a start on Thursday.
Jonathan Rowe looked a bit rusty in his first start since January following injury problems but is likely to be given another run-out. Norwich City are not expected to make too many changes to the team.
Leeds United: Meslier, Byram, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo, Kamara, Gruev, Summerville, Gnonto, James, Piroe
Norwich City: Gunn, Giannoulis, Gibson, Duffy, Stacey, McLean, Nunez, Sara, Saint, Rowe, Sargent
HIGHLIGHTED PLAYER (PATRICK BAMFORD):
Known for his technical ability and versatility, Patrick Bamford is an English professional footballer who plays for Leeds United in the Championship. The 6ft tall forward, who was born in Grantham. Lincolnshire, is a Nottingham Forest youth product and signed his first professional with the club in 2011. He made his professional debut, playing for the Reds in a 0-1 home defeat to Cardiff on the 31st of December, 2011.
Bamford’s career then took him to Premier League giants Chelsea. with whom he signed a five-year deal worth 1.5 million pounds on the 31st of January, 2012. His time at the Blues included loan spells at clubs like Milton Keynes Dons. Derby County, Middlesborough, Crystal Palace, Norwich, and Burnley. He scored his first professional goal while playing for Milton against Crewe Alexandra on the 19th of March, 2013. In January 2017, Bamford permanently left Chelsea to reunite with Middlesborough on a four-and-a-half-year deal. In his second spell, Bamford made 47 appearances for the club and scored 12 goals.
The Striker followed up by joining Championship side Leeds United for the 18/19 season and is currently on a four-and-a-half-year contract with the club. Born on the 5th of September, 1993, the 26-year-old initially featured for the Republic of Ireland under-18 team before switching to represent England for whom he’s gone on to serve at the under-18, under-19, and under-21 level.
HIGHLIGHTED TEAM (NORWICH):
After spending only one season in the Premier League. Norwich City dropped to the Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 campaign. Norwich City are located in Norwich, Norfolk and they welcome their rivals at Carrow Road.
The stadium was built and opened in 1935 and the capacity of the venues is 27,137 (all-seater). However the stadium’s record attendance is 43,984. The Canaries have won two League Cup trophies (1973, 1975) and their main rivals are Ipswich Town. The two teams have been facing each other in the East Anglian Derby since 1902.
The colour of Norwich City’s home kit is yellow and green and that is the main reason why they are known as the Canaries. The likes of Kevin Keeland, Ian Culverhouse, Steve Bruce. Duncan Forbes, Mark Bowen, Darren Huckerby, Ian Crook, Martin Peters, Darren Eadier. Chris Sutton and Iwan Roberts are notable footballers who played for the Carrow Road outfit in the past.
Leeds vs Norwich Prediction
Leeds and Norwich will resume their Championship playoffs semi-final on Thursday evening. They meet each other in the reverse fixture at Elland Road. Neither team managed to find the back of the net in a chance-light first leg on Sunday afternoon at Carrow Road.
- Leeds won 16, drew 5, and lost only 2 of 23 home outings in this term of the Championship.
- Just six ofNorwich’ss 21 league wins have come away from Carrow Road this season.
- Crysencio Summerville has beenLeeds’’ standout performer with 19 goals in the regular season.
Leeds finished the season 17 points above Norwich in the Championship standings. There was nothing to separate the two outfits in the first leg of their semi-final, though. The Peacocks are certainly pretty big favourites now with the home advantage. We must not forget thatthey’vee not managed to secure promotion from the playoffs from five previous attempts.
Norwich were unusually quiet at Carrow Road four days ago. They failed to find the back of the net at home for the first time since December last year. To make things worse for the Canaries, forward Josh Sargent hobbled off through an injury in the second half of theweekend’ss clash. His appearance on Thursday remains questionable.
There is a lot to like about the home win pick in this match. Norwich have played incomparably better at home than on the road throughout the entire season. They lost 11, drew 6, and won just 6 of 23 away matches in this term of the Championship. It is not the kind of record you want to carry into the clash against one of the strongest teams in the division.
Leeds have been a force at Elland Road this season. They won 16, drew 5, and lost only 2 of 23 home outings in the regular season. They have also dominated this matchup historically at Elland Road. Finally, Leeds was by far the most consistent team this season. We expect them to control the happenings on the pitch from the first to the final whistle on Thursday. You can back the Peacocks to win by two or more goals difference at the attractive 2.60 odds.
Crysencio Summerville has beenLeeds’’ most lethal attacker in the regular season. The Dutch winger notched 19 goals in the regular season. We expect him to start on Thursday, especially since Patrick Bamford is still sidelined was Daniel James was only good to feature five minutes on Sunday. We like the 2.87 odds offered for Summerville to score anytime in the home clash against Norwich.
