Gary Lineker has made a new prediction about the winner of the Championship play-offs as Leeds and Southampton secured two away draws in their semi-final first legs.
Leeds United played first as they took on Norwich City at Carrow Road, a game that saw boss Daniel Farke return to the East Anglian club for only the second time since leaving Norwich in the 2021-22 season.
Lining up slightly more defensively, Farke’s side picked up only their second clean sheet in their last nine league matches to avoid defeat down south and return to Elland Road slight favourites on Thursday.
In the other Championship play-off semi-final, West Brom and Southampton had more of a go at each other but goalkeepers Alex Palmer and Alex McCarthy produced some spectacular saves to keep it 0-0.
Leeds and Southampton have been billed as favourites to reach Wembley on May 26 having finished in third and fourth but that is not always the way, with West Brom and Norwich trying to rip up the script.
Iconic presenter Lineker gave his prediction on who will reach the final after watching both first legs and he thinks that Sunday’s matches will now favour both Leeds and Southampton.
Gary Lineker predicts who reaches Championship play-off final
Previously, Lineker agreed with Alan Shearer that the latter’s old side Southampton will win the play-offs and be promoted to the Premier League come May 26 but it hangs in the balance at the semi-final stage.
Leeds host Norwich at Elland Road on Thursday night before West Brom go to Southampton on Friday evening and Lineker told The Rest Is Football that he believes it will be Leeds and The Saints in the final.
“Whoever scores a goal I would say. They’re always a bit cautious in the first legs but I suspect it might be Leeds and Southampton – I thought they were good results for those two. Both games were pretty turgid.
“They were two typically hard-fought games that both ended goalless. Southampton and West Brom got a little bit lively towards the end but there weren’t many chances and it was all cautious,” Lineker said.
Chris Sutton and David Wagner are confident Norwich can do it
Despite Leeds now boasting home advantage in what is pretty much a one-off knockout tie given the first leg lends no bearing to the aggregate score, there is still belief from a Norwich perspective in winning.
Chris Sutton, who played for Norwich as a teenager while making a name for himself more than 100 times, says he has a “feeling” that Norwich can go to Elland Road and get a result on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Norwich manager David Wagner said that playing at home is not necessarily an advantage as Leeds prepare to play host to Farke’s old side in Yorkshire later this week, with everything in the balance.