Sunday’s Championship play-off final between Leeds United and Southampton, Ally McCoist believes there won’t be much to separate them. Sunday’s Championship play-off final between Southampton and Leeds United will decide who will return to the Premier League first.
The two entered this season as two of the favorites for automatic promotion after their respective relegations from the previous season, and they were involved in a four-way competition for the top two spots.
Since Ipswich Town and Leicester City prevailed in that race, Leeds and Southampton’s playoff opponents in the play-offs were Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion.
After drawing their first game 0-0 away from home, the Whites and the Saints made home advantage count in the second-leg of their semi-final matchup with Norwich and West Brom, setting up an exciting match at Wembley.
The third and fourth-placed teams will now have the opportunity to return to the top division right away by winning the ‘richest game in football’ at Wembley after defeating that duo on aggregate.
Play-off finals can often be very nervy and cagey affairs, but the games between the pair this season saw plenty of goals; Southampton won both league matches between the sides earlier this season. A 3-1 triumph on home soil in September came first before winning 2-1 at Elland Road on the final day of the season – ending any hope of Leeds snatching automatic promotion in the process.
Predicting the Championship Playoff Final, Ally McCoist With the bar being set at an all-time high at the top of the league and the two best teams to miss out on promotion having advanced to Wembley, the Championship automatic promotion battle has been one of the most fiercely contested and competitive in recent memory.
Ally McCoist is anticipating more of the same at Wembley, having spoken his opinion over the Championship play-off final between Southampton and Leeds. There hasn’t been much separating them this season.
McCoist believes Leeds will make an immediate return to the top flight, even though they will need to defeat Russell Martin’s team in a penalty shootout.
He said: “I think that one is going to go all the way and I’m taking Leeds to win on penalties.
“How is that for completely not sitting on the fence, I think that is going to be a great game.”
With so much on the line, there’s a chance this ends out like a lot of previous finals, where a close and cagey game is the norm.
Both teams boast a strong roster full of elite players who can make an impact both in and off the field. The players to watch out for on the day could be Summerville and Adam Armstrong because it might come down to a flash of individual brilliance.
Martin should not anticipate the same matchup with Daniel, even if he has defeated him twice already this season. This year, there hasn’t been much to divide them, and as pundits and neutrals make their predictions this week, that’s probably going to be the case too.
For the impartial, McCoist’s claim is the most intriguing, and it also makes perfect sense. Last year, Coventry City and Luton Town were forced to pay penalties; maybe Leeds and Southampton could experience a similar fate in 2024.
On Sunday, an exciting Championship play-off final between Leeds United and Southampton will determine who advances back to the Premier League. Both sides have the potential for a high-scoring game with elite talent on show, despite a history of tight finals.