Leeds United are heading into their playoff encounter against Derby County in a bad run of form, whilst Aston Villa and West Brom have some momentum.
Tim Sherwood has backed Leeds United and Aston Villa to reach the play-off final as he brutally mocked Marcelo Bielsa’s side about Spygate.
The former Premier League winner questioned how many times Derby County boss Frank Lampard will want to train indoors leading up to their fixture on Saturday.
On Saturday evening, the Rams will welcome Bielsa’s side to Pride Park for the first leg of their play-off semi-final, with Villa hosting Midland rivals West Brom earlier on in the afternoon.
Speaking on The Debate on Sky Sports Premier League (08/05/2019 at 10:55 pm), Sherwood shared his thoughts on the pressure cooker that is the playoffs.
“He’s the manager [Bielsa] on the big bucks,” Sherwood told The Debate. “Spygate, again with Derby. It will be interesting to see how many times Frank wants to train inside building up to the game.
“They are massive football clubs. None more so than Aston Villa, I am a wee bit biased. I think they have got the momentum, the flair players, Mings has been outstanding defensively for them as well –
Who will get to the final? “Leeds,” Sherwood responded. “I think Dean Smith [Aston Villa] will get them right. Leeds and Villa would be a magnificent final.”
In January, Spygate dominated the headlines in the Championship when Bielsa admitting spying on the opposition, in this case, Derby, leading up to their Championship encounter.
Lampard’s side would go on to lose that match at Elland Road, but that didn’t stop the story being talked about for weeks and weeks – and now it has come back in the limelight with the duo meeting in these playoffs.
By the time Derby and Leeds kick off, they would already know the result of the first game between Villa and Albion. Although they won’t know the outright winner, they’ll get an understanding of who does or does not have the advantage going into the second leg.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
