Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final: Leeds United v Southampton - Match Preview & Odds
3 minutes Wembley Stadium will stage the ‘richest game in football’ on Sunday as Leeds United take on Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final
Wembley Stadium will stage the ‘richest game in football’ on Sunday as Leeds United take on Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final. A place in next season’s Premier League is up for the grabs for the winner and here at betting.bet we’ll preview the fixture by providing the latest team news, form and match insights as well as the best match odds and free bet offers from our partners at William Hill.
Road To Wembley
Leeds United and Southampton are deserved play-off finalists having finished third and fourth in this season’s Sky Bet Championship. Leeds United took 90 points in 46 matches despite winning just one of their last six matches in the league. In the play-off semi-final, Leeds United bounced back from a 0-0 draw away at Norwich City to win the second leg 4-0 at Elland Road.
Southampton finished one place and three points behind Leeds United in the Sky Bet Championship, taking 87 points in 46 matches. Like Leeds United, Southampton were held to a goalless draw in the first leg of their play-off semi-final but earned an impressive 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion at St Marys in the second leg.
Leeds United v Southampton: Head-to-Head
Southampton completed a league double over Leeds United this season. The Saints were 3-1 winners at St Marys back in September before winning 2-1 at Elland Road on the final day of the season. Adam Armstrong and Will Smallbone were both on target in each league game played between the sides this season.
Betting Tips
Nine of the last eleven Sky Bet Championship play-off finals have produced under 2.5 match goals. However, we’re anticipating a wide-open final with plenty of goal scoring opportunities on Sunday. Matches featuring Southampton produced more goals than any other side in the Championship this season with the Saints’ 46 matches producing 150 goals in total. Whilst only the two sides to earn automatic promotion out-scored Leeds United and Southampton across the entire season. Four of Leeds United’s last five matches have produced over 2.5 match goals, including their defeat at home to Southampton three weeks ago and we’re tipping Sunday’s play-off final to produce the same over 2.5 match goals at a price of 10/11.
Southampton boss, Russell Martin is known for his possession-based style of play and on the vast Wembley pitch, this could offer the Saints a real advantage, especially later in the match. William Hill are offering odds of 9/4 for Southampton to win the second half whilst they are priced on 17/10 for Southampton to score more goals in the second half than the first.
Someone will become a hero at Wembley Stadium on Sunday and the goalscorer markets make for fascinating reading. Only Blackburn Rovers forward, Sammie Szmodics scored more Championship goals than Southampton’s Adam Armstrong (23) and Crysencio Summerville of Leeds United (20) whilst Southampton’s Che Adams as well as Leeds United duo Joel Piroe and Dan James all hit double-figures in the Sky Bet Championship this season. Berlow are the latest betting odds across various goalscorer markets.
| Joel Piroe | Crysencio Summerville | Daniel James | Adam Armstrong | Che Adams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To score at any time | 9/4 | 9/4 | 13/5 | 15/8 | 12/5 |
| First goalscorer | 6/1 | 6/1 | 13/2 | 5/1 | 6/1 |
| Last goalscorer | 6/1 | 6/1 | 13/2 | 5/1 | 6/1 |
| To score 2 or more | 14/1 | 14/1 | 16/1 | 11/1 | 14/1 |
| To score a hat-trick | 66/1 | 66/1 | 90/1 | 50/1 | 70/1 |
Match Odds
| Leeds United | Draw | Southampton |
|---|---|---|
| 5/4 | 23/10 | 21/10 |
To Be Promoted
| Leeds United | Southampton |
|---|---|
| 4/6 | 11/10 |
Method Of Victory
| Leeds United to win | Southampton to win | |
|---|---|---|
| 90 minutes | 5/4 | 21/10 |
| Extra-Time | 10/1 | 12/1 |
| Penalties | 10/1 | 10/1 |
Where To Watch Leeds United v Southampton
There is so much at stake in this huge fixture with a place in next season's Premier League the reward for the winners. The Championship Play-Off Final is one of the highlights of the domestic football calendar and Sunday's match is not to be missed. Viewers in England can watch the game on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Ultra. Kick-off at Wembley Stadium is scheduled for 3pm on Sunday 26th May. Extended match highlights will be shown on ITV1 from 11:20pm.
