Chris Sutton has shared his prediction as Leeds United prepare to travel to Chelsea to face Mauricio Pochettino’s side for a place in the quarter-final of the FA Cup on Wednesday.
On paper, you would think that the Blues should be heavy favourites to claim victory at Stamford Bridge. Much has been said about how much Chelsea’s squad has cost to assemble.
Leeds meanwhile, are in the Championship. And yet, it is hard to imagine that anyone in Daniel Farke’s ranks will be turning up with anything other than real belief that Leeds can win.
Chris Sutton predicts Chelsea vs Leeds result
The Whites have won every league game since the turn of the year. And they have not been beaten in any competition since December. Meanwhile, Chelsea have just contested the Carabao Cup final.
Not only were the Blues out on the Wembley pitch for 120 minutes, but they also have to deal with the disappointment of losing right towards the end of extra-time.
Certainly, if Leeds can get an early goal on Wednesday – something Patrick Bamford, for one, knows all about at Stamford Bridge – then a fascinating tie could be on the cards.
However, speaking to BBC Sport, Chris Sutton believes that his former club will edge the game 2-0.
“Chelsea really need to win this, after the way they lost the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. It was their display in extra-time that let them down against Liverpool’s kids, when they had the chance to really have a go at them,” he said.
“Leeds are going very well under Farke but he might prioritise their promotion bid over this tie.
“I hope he doesn’t, but this is one of the rare occasions where I would understand if he makes some changes, because of how tight it is at the top of the Championship – they have got Ipswich and Southampton breathing down their necks, but will also feel like they can catch Leicester.
“It is really unfortunate, because otherwise Leeds could have a real go at this. The pressure is all on Chelsea and, if they don’t win, it is really going to mount on their manager Mauricio Pochettino.
“I remember being part of a Chelsea team that lost 2-0 to Leeds at Stamford Bridge in the year I was there – thinking back, it was probably largely down to me. I’m going with the same scoreline again, but a home win this time.”
FA Cup exit isn’t the end of the world
The good news for Leeds is that there are positives to be taken out of any result. Of course, it would be incredibly satisfying if we could add to Pochettino’s problems.
And it does not seem that a cup run is hurting us so far.
However, the league is obviously the overwhelming priority. So if we do get knocked out, then Leeds have one less item on their plate heading into the business end of the campaign.
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