Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier believes that Leeds United will draw with the Saints at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon, a result that he claims would leave both sides "still in the fight" against relegation from the Premier League.
Leeds head into this weekend's match against Southampton knowing that if there was ever going to be a time to break their three-month spell without a top-flight victory, that moment is now. A defeat to Everton last week has seen them drop to just a point off the foot of the table - and a loss on Saturday would see the Saints leapfrog them in what would be a worst case scenario for the Whites.
Ruben Selles looks set to lead Southampton at Elland Road, with reports now claiming that he will take charge of the team for the remainder of the season following the sacking of Nathan Jones.
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Under Jones, the Saints dropped two places from 18th to 20th in the table, losing seven of the eight league games that he was in charge of. Le Tissier believes that his old side took a huge step backwards under the Welshman but admitted that victory over Leeds could act as a catalyst for the remainder of their season.
“I’ve been to most of the games and it has been a tough watch at times, but when you see these stats you have to look at the position those clubs were in,” Le Tissier told the Daily Echo regarding Jones' three-month spell at St Mary's.
“How many points were they from safety? We’re still only a few points away. That’s touching distance and that’s the thing the players have to focus on, you don’t get cut adrift and you give yourselves a chance right up to the last minute.
“If we beat Leeds on Saturday, the whole club will feel a hell of a lot different about our chances of staying up. Before the Chelsea game, I think everyone was down in the dumps and had resigned themselves to it.
“If you win at Chelsea and back that up with another result at Leeds, all of a sudden the season looks a bit brighter. It’s a huge game, it’s the proverbial six-pointer if there ever was one.
“I think the team that wins that game will have an incredible amount of belief that they can get out of trouble – so it will probably end up in a draw so both teams are still in the fight!"
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