Leeds vs Southampton Bet Builder Tips: 25/1 shout for play-off final

One of the biggest games in the footballing calendar has arrived. The Championship play-off final between Leeds United and Southampton will take place this Sunday (15:00, Sky Sports Main Event). It promises to be an absolute belter as the ‘richest game in football’ takes centre stage. 

It’s obviously hugely important to both sides, but perhaps this season more than ever before. These two finished on 90 and 87 points respectively and were only beaten to the automatic spots by two of the finest Championship teams we have ever seen in the form of Ipswich and Leicester. 

Both of these teams have several Premier League quality players who simply won’t be with them next term if they remain in the second tier. That means the desolation felt by the loser could spell disaster for their long-term future. Below you can find my Leeds vs Southampton Bet Builder tips, as I try and predict this colossal clash. 

Southampton to win

Alright, I’ve finally made my decision on this one. Leeds possess such incredible attacking quality, but I just feel Southampton’s playing style is better suited to this big occasion. Russell Martin’s teams love to exert control of games by dominating possession, and they barely gave West Brom a sniff over the two legs. 

Importantly for me, they’ve also beaten Leeds home and away so far this season, with the 2-1 win at Elland Road on the final day particularly impressive. They went to the lion’s den and won, and I feel the big pitch at Wembley will suit them. 

Leeds haven’t yet gained promotion in any of their five play-off campaigns, and they only had to beat a very poor Norwich team to get here. I think the Saints can get the job done in 90 minutes under the arch. 

BTTS

A simple one here, given the attacking strength of both teams. Both teams scored in the two games in the regular season, and with Crysencio Summerville, Joel Piroe and Dan James, I’m expecting Daniel Farke’s men to find the net at some point. 

Che Adams’ recovery from injury will play a big part in deciding the outcome of this final, and I think Southampton will be able to score at least a couple with him and Adam Armstrong on top form. 

Adam Armstrong to score

Speak of the devil. If we are backing Saints to score at least twice, it makes perfect sense to back their top scorer and penalty taker to get at least one. 23 goals in 48 Championship matches so far this season and two in his last match make for positive reading, but his record against Leeds has been superb. 

He has scored three in two games against the Whites this season, bagging once on the final day, and twice at St Mary’s. It seems as though Farke has been unable to stop the dynamic forward so far, and with even more space on this big pitch, he could do some damage. 

Ilia Gruev to get booked

We will throw a yellow card into the mix to bring us up to 25/1. I’ve gone for Leeds’ combative midfielder Ilia Gruev to pick up a booking, as he did against Norwich in the play-off semi-final. He has now got eight yellows this season, and is likely to have to stop a Southampton attack if Leeds’ pacy attackers fly forward at will. 

Check out our other Football Betting Tips here. 

*Betfred are running their Double Delight/Hat-Trick Heaven promo for this game, meaning that your odds in the first goalscorer market are doubled if your selection scores twice, and treble if he scores three.