Here are the latest Leeds United morning headlines on Saturday, 6 August 2022.
Sutton predicts Leeds relegation
BBC pundit Chris Sutton has tipped Leeds to be relegated alongside Fulham and AFC Bournemouth. The former Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers forward believes the loss of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, who he described as their ‘two best players’, will have a damning effect on the Whites.
“Along with Fulham and Bournemouth, I’ve got Leeds as going down this season,” Sutton wrote on BBC Sport. “They only just stayed up last time and then sold their two best players, Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, this summer.”
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Sutton has replaced Mark Lawrenson for BBC’s weekly Premier League predictions, and despite expecting Leeds to face the drop, he has opted for a goalless draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“Wolves have got some brilliant creative players but they are lacking firepower at the moment without the injured Raul Jimenez, so who is going to get the goals?,” Sutton added.
“This is a hard one to predict so I am going to sit on the fence.”
Leeds squad revealed for Wolves clash
Leeds United begin their new Premier League season at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers this afternoon. The Whites will be looking to get their third consecutive year back in the top-flight off to a good start, something which they have been unable to do in each of the last two seasons.
It almost feels like the start of a new era at Elland Road today, with Jesse Marsch set to begin his first full season in charge and the squad having seen several changes over the summer. But one thing that hasn’t changed is who will start in goal as Illan Meslier prepares for another season as Leeds’ number one.
At the back, it is expected to be the same back four that started against Cagliari, with Rasmus Kristensen, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Pascal Struijk lining up alongside each other. The latter is set to begin the season at left back with Junior Firpo injured.
Skubala hails ‘amazing’ Mateo Joseph
Mateo Joseph stole the show for Leeds United under-21s on Friday night as Michael Skubala’s young side started their Premier League 2 campaign with a 5-2 win over Derby County. Joseph scored a first-half hat-trick for the Whites to put the visitors 3-0 up before the 30 minute mark at Pride Park
Fresh from his switch from West Ham United, Sonny Perkins scored Leeds’ fourth of the night with a poacher’s finish from inside the six-yard box, before Joseph bagged the final goal of the match 20 minutes before full-time. It was a performance that not only built on the goal he scored against Blackpool in the first-team last month, but showcased his talent and potential as he made a clear statement of intent.
Perkins, Archie Gray, Jeremiah Mullen and Darko Gyabi were amongst those to impress against the Rams, while Dan James did enough to catch the eye after stepping down from the senior side while suspended. However, it was Joseph who won the most praise from his head coach Skubala after the match.
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