Paul Merson has stated that Leeds United will be ‘straight back’ into the Premier League’s relegation fight if they lose at Watford, as he told Sportskeeda.
The Sky pundit is predicting Watford-Leeds to finish in a 2-2 draw at the weekend and thinks the home side needs to win to ‘boost’ their survival chances.
On Wednesday night, Burnley smashed open a previously shut door when they beat Everton 3-2 on home soil.
Whilst Jesse Marsch and his players are six points from the drop – they are six behind having played two games more than 18th-placed Burnley and eight points behind 19th-placed Watford, who have one game on the Yorkshire side.
With so many games in hand to be played, it has provided a bit of a muddled situation down the bottom, but Merson thinks trouble could be brewing if defeat follows Leeds here.
“Watford have got to win this one to boost their survival hopes,” said Merson. “And if they do, they could bring Leeds United straight back into the dogfight.
“I thought they were safe, but looking at the Premier League table, they could be in trouble if they lose this one.
“I think this game will have a lot of goals in it, so I’m going for a 2-2 draw. It’s impossible to predict the three teams that will get relegated, because at this stage of the season, it changes every week!”
This is a great chance for Leeds to hit Watford for six by well and truly taking themselves out of this relegation scrap with three points.
Whilst they will still be out of danger if they suffer defeat, the problem it provides them is that it hands those at the bottom momentum at such a crucial stage of the season – and them the complete opposite.
But with Kalvin Phillips back in the middle of the park and Liam Cooper at the back, this Leeds spine is beginning to build again.
Given the storm Marsch came into, the American has done pretty well and handled himself in a similar manner, especially given that he was replacing a hero in Marcelo Bielsa.
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