Spurs have the chance to secure a spot in the Europa Conference League for next season when they face Leeds in the final game of the Premier League season.
A drop in form in recent weeks has seen Spur s plummet down the Premier League table, with a 3-1 loss at home to Brentford in their last outing leaving the Lilywhites eighth in the table. The defeat meant that Ryan Mason’s side have won just one of their last seven games, and they will need to pick up a win on Sunday to book a spot in Europe next season.
If Spurs beat Leeds, they will need Aston Villa to either draw or lose against Brighton to overtake Unai Emery’s side and into the Europa Conference League spot. Spurs could also claim the spot with a draw, though only if Villa lose against the Seagulls.
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So, could Leeds remain in the Premier League on Sunday? We simulated the game to try and find out
Leeds vs Tottenham score predicted by simulation
To run this simulation, we used FIFA 23, updating the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with the lineup looking as follows: Robles; Ayling, Kristiansen, Cooper, Wober; McKennie, Koch, Forshaw; Harrison, Rodrigo, Gnonto.
We predict that Spurs will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with the lineup looking as follows: Forster; Royal, Sanchez, Lenglet, Davies; Bissouma, Hojbjerg; Richarlison, Kulusevski, Son; Kane.
Spurs got off to the worst possible start at Elland Road, going behind after just 14 minutes when Wilfried Gnonto curled a strike around Fraser Forster after being sent one-on-one with the ‘keeper. Leeds were dominating the first half as they camped in Spurs’ half, and just before the break, they were 2-0 ahead.
A short corner routine saw the hosts work the ball into the box, and when Gnonto received a pass in a shooting position, he was quickly closed down by a sea of defenders. Rodrigo was left open at the back post as his marker charged down the Italian, and Gnonto flicked the ball into the striker’s path, allowing him to fire home for Leeds’ second.
Mason made a host of changes in the second half to try and tip the game into his side’s hands, and it worked, with the Lilywhites dominating the hosts in the second half. Harry Kane, Oliver Skipp and Son Heung-min all came close, but it was Arnaut Danjuma who halved the deficit with eight minutes to go.
A switch of play saw Danjuma receive the ball on the left, and after cutting inside past Liam Cooper, the Dutchman curled a wonderful strike into the far corner to make it 2-1. Spurs piled on the pressure late on to try and rescue a point, but they failed to do so as they were beaten in West Yorkshire.
Full-time: Leeds 2-1 Spurs
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Spurs could fall to another defeat, losing 2-1 to Leeds in the simulation. The result would confirm Spurs’ omission from European competitions next season, whilst a win for Leeds would be vital in their bid for Premier League safety.
What do you think the score could be against Leeds? Let us know in the comments below.
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