Manchester City are looking to secure another victory in the Premier League, but Leeds United could benefit from the Saturday evening kick off time.
Today is the day Manchester City head to Elland Road in a bid to once again close the gap between first and second in the Premier League table to just two points.
Both teams will be fresh and raring to go as neither has played a competitive match since last Saturday. Leeds picked up a 1-1 draw at Villa Park last time out, while City defeated Newcastle by a single goal.
Despite this, Chris Sutton has revealed that Leeds could hold an advantage because of the half five kick off time selected by the Premier League.
Leeds have a strong record when playing night-time fixtures
According to the BBC Sport pundit, Leeds will benefit from the kick of time of this evening’s game because of their past record playing matches at this time.
However, this will not be enough for Daniel Farke’s men to avoid being overrun by Erling Haaland and his attacking partners.
Sutton said: “This will be a great game. I was at the Etihad Stadium when these two teams met in November, and it was a real turning point in Leeds’ season.
“City were 2-0 up at half-time but Leeds boss Daniel Farke put Dominic Calvert-Lewin on and had a real go.
“They fought back to 2-2, and although they still lost to a last-gasp Phil Foden goal, that performance transformed them – they’ve been a different team in recent weeks compared with the way they started the season.”
Man City might have managed a victory against Leeds earlier in the season, but Sutton has revealed something interesting about how often Leeds win when it is an evening kick off.
“This is the sort of game where, if you are a City fan, you are thinking we have to go to Elland Road and win if we are going to win the title,” he continued.
“Leaders Arsenal did exactly that a few weeks ago, and blew Leeds away.
“Can City do the same? I am not sure – especially if we class this Saturday evening kick-off as a night game, because Leeds’ record in those under Farke is extraordinary – out of 21 so far, they have won 18 and drawn three.
“It’s hard to call, so this was one of the games I mentioned earlier where I was thinking, ‘What would Einstein say?’.
“He was better at physics than he was at predictions but I reckon he would have calculated that the floodlights will inspire Leeds again – but City will still come out on top.”
Sutton added: “So, my theory is that City will win. They don’t have the same control in midfield any more, but they have so much firepower – as well as Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush and [Antoine] Semenyo are both in good form.
“Haaland is not exactly playing a different role now, but he is showing what an intelligent footballer he is. I don’t see Leeds keeping them out.”
Sutton’s prediction: Leeds United 1-3 Manchester City
Erling Haaland will want to continue his attacking run for Man City
Haaland is having another extraordinary season and his performance last weekend was second only to the match winner Nico O’Relly.
During the victory, Haaland registered his sixth goal contribution in his past five starts and he will be looking to keep this run going against Leeds.
The home team will be looking to stay tight to the Norwegian, but with Semenyo and Marmoush also attempting to cause havoc, Leeds’ attention towards Haaland may need to be divided.
