Leeds United are back in Premier League action on Sunday as they make the trip to Crystal Palace. The Whites will be looking to end their winless run of four matches in the Premier League, with their last victory coming back in August against Chelsea.
Patrick Vieira’s Palace side will provide another stern test for Leeds, with many tipping them for a good season. That said, the Eagles currently sit 17th in the table after winning only once so far, though they have faced all of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.
Leeds boss Jesse Marsch is under illusions over the challenge that his side will face. He said: “Well, I think Zaha is number one. He's very good footballer and he's incredible in transition. He's very clever around the goal and can score with both feet.
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“But you know, if you pay too much attention to him, Edouard can have a big match, Matete, Olise, Eze, you have Ayew - you have so much attacking talent on this team. So we know that one v one duels will be important in managing some of their dribblers and some of their individual talent.
“But we will need to manage specifically when we have the ball to make sure that they're not getting out of transition and hurting us, so big task of the day for the entire team, not just the defending group but we feel like we've created a good match. The guys will be ready."
While Leeds will be hoping to return to winning ways, predictors FiveThirtyEight have backed Palace to come away with three points on Sunday. They claim the hosts have a 48% chance of winning, compared to Leeds at 26%, with the draw at 25%.
Leeds have a decent record against Palace since promotion in 2020, winning two, drawing one and losing one of their four matches. That said, they have not come away from Selhurst Park victorious in 16 years since a 2-1 win in March 2006.
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