Leeds’ 8 points put pressure on Palace’s three before Elland Road test

Leeds bring an unbeaten four-match start into today’s 13:00 UTC meeting with Crystal Palace at Elland Road. The gap between sixth and 17th is already five points, giving Adam Herczeg’s fixture a clear table angle before kickoff.

What's at stake

Leeds have 8 points from four games, while Crystal Palace have 3. A Leeds win would increase the distance between the sides; a Palace victory would cut it to two points. Manchester City lead on 12 points, so Leeds are four points off first place and Palace are nine behind.

The numbers

Leeds’ recent sequence is Win, Draw, Draw, Win, and their overall record shows 7 goals scored and 3 conceded. At home, they are 1W 1D 0L, with 5 goals for and 2 against, although they have not kept a clean sheet in either home match.

Palace’s latest four results read Loss, Loss, Win, Loss. Their overall figures are 6 goals scored and 11 conceded, while their away record is 1W 0D 1L, with 3 scored and 4 conceded and no clean sheets.

One to watch

D. Calvert-Lewin is Leeds’ leading scorer in the supplied chart, with 3 goals in 4 appearances. Crystal Palace’s top listed scorer is T. Mitchell, who has 2 goals in 4 appearances, setting up a direct comparison between the sides’ most productive named players.

Why it matters

Leeds can protect an unbeaten start and keep pressure on the teams above them, with Manchester City currently four points away. Palace need a result to move closer to the five-point gap and address a record that includes 3 defeats in 4 matches.

Availability adds another layer for today’s match: Leeds list M. Joseph, J. Rodon and H. Wilson as unavailable, while Palace list A. Disasi, D. Henderson, J. Mateta and C. Riad. The game takes place at Elland Road, where Leeds have collected 4 points from their first 2 home fixtures.