- Leeds United U21 have failed to win or draw in their last two home Premier League 2 games (1W 1D 5L at Elland Road overall this term, conceding an average of 2.14 goals-per-game).
- Tottenham Hotspur U21 have won four of their eight away matches in Premier League 2, scoring 2.75 goals-per-game on the road.
- Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score are odds-on for this game, but we’ll have a flutter on goals with the visitors to edge a tight fixture.
U21’s clash will test Leeds and Spurs academies’ contrasting philosophies
Leeds United U21 have been in woeful form of late, winless in their last five Premier League 2 outings (D1 L4) since a 5-2 defeat away to Sunderland Academy five days ago.
Scott Gardner has instilled an attacking, high-tempo and vertical style of play on Leeds U21, and they press opponents hard before turning turnovers into high-speed attacks, making this an interesting fixture against Spurs’ possession-based approach.
Spurs U21 have won two and lost three of their last five Premier League 2 matches, coming into this fixture on the back of consecutive defeats to Liverpool Academy and Middlesbrough Academy, but they do come into this game as the clear favourites at 31/50, with Leeds the massive minnows at 69/25.
Burnett’s men will look to break Leeds down with their attacking creativity.
Wayne Burnett has slightly tweaked the U21’s approach recently, adding more structure and defensive focus to their play, but the young Spurs are essentially about front-foot football, using wide overloads and intricate passing combinations to unlock opposition defences.
The head-to-head record between these two sides in Premier League 2 is tied at 1-1, with Leeds enjoying a memorable 3-0 away win over Spurs a year ago, but they look unlikely to repeat that trick on Monday.
Spurs are superior in all departments and have a much better away record in the Premier League 2 than Leeds do at home. The visitors are the clear pick to edge this one, but don’t expect Leeds to sit back and allow Spurs to dominate. Both of these sides have scored plenty of goals in the division this term and have conceded at a similarly alarming rate, so we’re backing goals.
