Yorkshire Evening Post

The landscape has altered in Leeds United’s quest for Premier League survival, leading to changes in the club’s relegation odds and new predicted final table with the bookies.

Leeds headed for Saturday’s huge test at third-placed Aston Villa sat 15th and six points clear of third-bottom West Ham in the division’s third and final relegation place.

Daniel Farke’s Whites then looked to move nine points clear of the dropzone as they led 1-0 heading into the closing stages at Villa Park, only for Tammy Abraham to net an 88th-minute equaliser which sealed a 1-1 draw.

The draw instead took Leeds seven points clear of West Ham who then had to settle for a draw themselves - a goalless one - from Saturday evening’s visit of Bournemouth, keeping Leeds six points ahead of them with just 11 games left.

United’s draw at Villa also took them a point further clear of fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and fifth-bottom Tottenham Hotspur although with Forest and Spurs both in action on Sunday.

Both, though, suffered defeats, Tottenham battered 4-1 by title-chasing Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Forest undone by a Alexis Mac Allister’s 97th-minute winner in a 1-0 loss at home to Liverpool.

Crystal Palace were the only winners as far as the bottom seven were concerned, the Eagles needing a late winner themselves to record a 1-0 victory against Wolves at Selhurst Park.

The win took Palace four points clear of Leeds who now have Brighton directly above them in 14th place but three points ahead of them.

Leeds, though, now sit two points ahead of Tottenham, four clear of Forest and still six ahead of West Ham with just 11 games left.

The picture is ever-changing and it’s led to changes in Leeds United’s relegation odds and predicted final table with the bookies based on those odds.

Here, in reverse order, is the full new rundown.

Fresh twists have presented themselves in Leeds United’s fight for Premier League survival and a strong fresh Whites call has been made in the supercomputer’s new predicted final Premier League table and points.

Leeds headed for Saturday’s huge test at third-placed Aston Villa sat 15th and six points clear of third-bottom West Ham in the division’s third and final relegation place.

Daniel Farke’s Whites then looked to move nine points clear of the dropzone as they led 1-0 heading into the closing stages at Villa Park, only for Tammy Abraham to net an 88th-minute equaliser which sealed a 1-1 draw.

The draw instead took Leeds seven points clear of West Ham who then had to settle for a draw themselves - a goalless one - from Saturday evening’s visit of Bournemouth, keeping Leeds six points ahead of them with just 11 games left.

United’s draw at Villa also took them a point further clear of fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and fifth-bottom Tottenham Hotspur although with Forest and Spurs both in action on Sunday.

Both, though, suffered defeats, Tottenham battered 4-1 by title-chasing Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Forest undone by a Alexis Mac Allister’s 97th-minute winner in a 1-0 loss at home to Liverpool.

Crystal Palace were the only winners as far as the bottom seven were concerned, the Eagles needing a late winner themselves to record a 1-0 victory against Wolves at Selhurst Park.

The win took Palace four points clear of Leeds who now have Brighton directly above them in 14th place but three points ahead of them.

Leeds, though, now sit two points ahead of Tottenham, four clear of Forest and still six ahead of West Ham with just 11 games left.

After the weekend’s fresh twists, the supercomputer from the team at data experts Opta has produced its new predicted final table and points which features a strong Whites call.

Here is the full new rundown from top to bottom which also features a very firm Arsenal v Manchester City title call.

Leeds United have another point on the board and data experts Opta are forecasting a big Whites gap change in their new predicted final Premier League table and points.

Leeds headed for Saturday’s huge test at third-placed Aston Villa sat 15th and six points clear of third-bottom West Ham in the division’s third and final relegation place.

Incredibly, that six-point gap to the Hammers looked all set to become a nine-point gap as Farke’s Whites led 1-0 heading into the closing stages of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at Villa Park, only for Tammy Abraham to net an 88th-minute equaliser which sealed a 1-1 draw.

The draw instead took Leeds seven points clear of West Ham but with the Hammers presented with the chance to close the gap down to four points with a victory against Saturday evening’s visitors Bournemouth.

The Irons, though, had to settle for a draw themselves - a goalless one - which has kept Leeds six points ahead of them with just 11 games left.

United’s draw at Villa also took them a point further clear of fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and fifth-bottom Tottenham Hotspur although with Forest and Spurs having played a game less, Forest at home to Liverpool on Sunday and Spurs hosting Arsenal in the North London Derby.

Forest are four points behind Leeds and Tottenham two adrift of them, the Whites also just one point behind Crystal Palace who have also played a game less and host Wolves on Sunday.

Despite the sucker punch of conceding late on, Saturday’s draw and West Ham’s failure to win could be seen as a double Whites boost and it’s all led to a new predicted final table and points from data experts Opta.

Featuring a big Leeds gap change, here is the full new rundown in reverse order.

Leeds United took another step towards Premier League survival following Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa. Anton Stach looked to have won it with a brilliant first-half free-kick but his side eventually fell to home pressure, with substitute Tammy Abraham looping an improvised finish over Dominic Calvert-Lewin and into the net late on.

Despite the disappointment of conceding late, many Leeds fans would have taken a point at Villa beforehand and the result leaves them three wins away from hitting that 40-point milestone. Daniel Farke’s side are due back at Elland Road next weekend before the final 10 games start to swing in their favour.

A healthy gap on West Ham has been maintained while Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest both play on Sunday, against Arsenal and Liverpool respectively. Below, the YEP takes a look at the next five matchweeks across the Premier League once this round of action is complete.

Leeds United will travel to Premier League rivals Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.

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Leeds United have been warned new managerial appointments at two relegation rivals could see them sucked further into the battle to avoid the drop.

The Whites are sitting six points clear of the bottom three ahead of Saturday’s visit to Aston Villa after losing just two of their previous 13 league games and appear to be well positioned to preserve their top flight status between now and the end of the season. Although there was speculation over the future of manager Daniel Farke earlier in the campaign, the former Norwich City boss has produced a remarkable turnaround in fortunes over the last two and a half months and there is confidence over what lies ahead.

However, a number of relegation rivals have opted to make a change in the dugout and two new arrivals have been confirmed in recent weeks as Nottingham Forest opted to replace Sean Dyche with Vitor Pereira and Tottenham Hotspur opted to part ways with Thomas Frank before naming Igor Tudor as his successor on an interim basis.

A key weekend lies in wait as Tudor makes his Spurs bow in a North London derby clash with current league leaders Arsenal and former England defender Jamie Carragher believes the new arrivals should act as a warning to Leeds and Brighton as the relegation battle approaches its final months.

Hindrance

Writing in his Telegraph column, the Liverpool legend said: “The managerial change was necessary and gives Spurs a better chance of staying up because, at the very least, the mood in and around the club will improve. Arsenal’s visit could be more help than hindrance for Tudor in one aspect. It may be the most difficult of fixtures, but it can also be the most unifying. Such was the clamour for a new coach, the Spurs fans are relieved Frank is gone and the desperation for points is allied with trying to stop Arsenal winning the title and pray on the fears of their fans following the Wolves result.

“The supporters will recognise that the time for a thorough overview of how and why it has come to this is best delayed until the summer. They need to make their stadium intimidating for opponents rather than their own players for the next three months. Spurs must save themselves rather than rely on the failings of others, as they did a year ago. Leeds United and Brighton might yet get dragged further into the fight, but West Ham and Nottingham Forest are now under the management of two coaches who have survived Premier League relegation scraps before, Nuno saving Forest two years ago, and Vítor Pereira keeping Wolverhampton Wanderers up in 2025.”

Leeds United will resume their bid for Premier League survival with Saturday’s clash at Aston Villa - ahead of which the bookies have had their say on where they think the Whites will now finish.

In a break from league action, Leeds put themselves into the fifth round of the FA Cup with Sunday’s 4-2 victory on penalties at Birmingham City following a 1-1 draw extra time.

Six days later, Leeds will head back to Birmingham this weekend with a 3pm kick-off at Aston Villa in the club’s ongoing quest to survive their first season back in the country’s top flight.

Leeds are heading for what will be their 27th game of the Premier League season sat in 15th place and six points clear of the dropzone.

Farke’s men are six points ahead of third-bottom West Ham, three points clear of fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and now one point ahead of fifth-bottom Tottenham Hotspur.

After sacking boss Thomas Frank, Tottenham have appointed former Juventus boss Igor Tudor as head coach until the end of the season in the bid to get the club up the Premier League table and also seeking progress in the Champions League.

Forest also have a new manager, the club having appointed former boss Vitor Pereira as their new head coach following the sacking of Sean Dyche.

They are two big new appointments at two big Leeds rivals and the bookies have now made a big Leeds, Spurs, Forest call in their new predicted final Premier League table based on the very latest odds. Here, in reverse order, is the full new rundown.

Leeds United are heading towards their Premier League survival run-in with plenty of confidence following their 2-2 draw at Chelsea earlier this week. The Whites maintained their six-point gap on 18th-placed West Ham in the process, also climbing above Tottenham Hotspur into 15th.

A round of fixtures in which almost everything went Leeds’ way also saw Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Brighton drop points with up to six teams still at risk of joining Burnley and Wolves in the bottom three. But if Daniel Farke’s side can come through upcoming games against Manchester City and Aston Villa in a good place, confidence will grow further.

With that in mind and using data from Soccerstats, the YEP has analysed the difficulty of each Premier League team’s 12-game run-in according to the points-per-game (PPG) average of those left to play. And in comparing it to the PPG of those already faced, provided a percentage change between opponents played and those left to play.

Leeds United’s struggling rivals have appointed a new head coach with a strong declaration of intent.

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Leeds United’s struggling rivals Tottenham Hotspur have appointed a new head coach in the club’s Premier League survival bid but also Champions League pursuit.

A sliding Tottenham team suffered an 11th defeat of the Premier League season in Tuesday night’s clash at home to Newcastle United, the reverse dropping Spurs a place and a point below Leeds in the Premier League table.

Boss Thomas Frank was then sacked the following day, news then emerging on Friday that Spurs were looking to appoint an experienced interim head coach to take charge of the team until the end of the season.

In their bid to steady the ship, the club have turned to 47-year-old former Juventus boss Igor Tudor who has now been appointed as the club’s new head coach until the end of the season, subject to work permit.

Tudor, a former Croatia international centre-back, has managed Hajduk Split, PAOK, Karabükspor, Galatasaray, Udinese, Hajduk Split, Hellas Verona, Marseille, Lazio and most recently Juventus in the last decade.

Tudor replaced Thiago Motta as the new head coach of Juventus in March 2025 and guided the team to a fourth-placed finish, sealing qualification for the Champions League.

Tudor, though, was sacked in October following eight games without a victory.

“His mandate is straightforward”

A statement from Tottenham Hotspur read: “We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Igor Tudor as Men’s Head Coach until the end of the season, subject to work permit.

“Igor joins us with a clear focus: to improve performances, deliver results and move us up the Premier League table. His mandate is straightforward – bring organisation, intensity and competitive edge to the squad at a decisive stage of the campaign.”

As quoted by the club’s official website, new boss Tudor said: “It is an honour to join this Club at an important moment.

“I understand the responsibility I have been handed and my focus is clear. To bring greater consistency to our performances and compete with conviction in every match.

“There is strong quality in this playing squad, and my job is to organise it, energise it and improve our results quickly.”

On the appointment, Sporting Director Johan Lange said: “Igor brings clarity, intensity and experience of stepping into challenging moments and producing impact.

“Our objective is straightforward – to stabilise performances, maximise the quality within the squad and compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League.”

A double Leeds United boost has been followed by big changes at key rivals, leading to alterations in the bookies’ relegation odds and new predicted final Premier League table.

Daniel Farke’s Whites looked to suffer an 11th defeat of the season as they trailed 2-0 at Tuesday night’s hosts Chelsea but an excellent comeback sealed an unlikely looking 2-2 draw and the big boost of another point.

At the same time, rapidly emerging new rivals Tottenham Hotspur were suffering a 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United although third-bottom West Ham looked destined for a massive win as they led Manchester United 1-0 at the London Stadium.

The Red Devils, though, bagged a late equaliser to seal a 1-1 draw in another Leeds boost which kept a six-point gap back to the relegation zone.

Huge changes then presented themselves over the course of the next 24 hours, Tottenham sacking boss Thomas Frank after their latest defeat and Sean Dyche also relieved of his duties as boss of fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest after their failure to beat Wednesday night’s visitors Wolves.

Forest’s goalless draw at the City Ground has left them three points behind Leeds who now sit in 15th place, a point and a place above Tottenham and only two points adrift of 14th-placed Brighton who themselves are only one point behind 13th-placed Crystal Palace.

More and more teams are becoming involved in the battle for survival and it's all led to changes in the bookies' relegation odds and new predicted final table.

Here, using title odds for teams expected to finish in the top half, is how they think the final standings will now look.

Leeds United took another step towards safety following their brilliant comeback 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Tuesday. The Whites were short of their best form but showed heaps of resilience, with second-half goals from Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor ensuring a point returned to Elland Road.

Daniel Farke’s side maintained a six-point gap on 18th-placed West Ham - who drew 1-1 at home to Manchester United on Tuesday - while also leapfrogging Tottenham Hotspur into 15th following their 2-1 defeat against Newcastle. Nottingham Forest then drew 0-0 against Wolves on Wednesday.

Two of those results signalled the end for a pair of managers, with Spurs sacking Frank on Wednesday morning and Dyche axed by Forest overnight. And after a midweek of relegation battle drama on and off the pitch, Opta have updated their Premier League final table predictions with Leeds’ chances of survival boosted.