Leeds United: Pompey and Boro the season openers
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00:00We'll move on though to of course the first couple of games of the season. It's a it's a game against
00:06Portsmouth which we've already mentioned in previous podcast episodes that will kick the
00:11season off at Elland Road half 12 on Saturday and then it's Borough which is a bit of a I mean
00:18from your perspective Lee is Borough a small rivalry given you're both North Yorkshire teams?
00:24Oh don't get don't get me involved on that and actually one of my best mates is a massive Borough
00:29fan and you know I think he's constantly getting wound up by Leeds fans about it and stuff about
00:34the rivalry about how Leeds are better and this that and the other so there is definitely
00:37something there there's no doubt about that but I mean never mind rivalries I think Leeds need
00:42to get through this season and get out of division really basically but yeah that'll
00:45be an interesting one that cup tie which we'll come to in a minute but first and foremost
00:48Portsmouth as you say. Yeah Portsmouth is of course the opening day of the season and they
00:53themselves having been promoted from league one so yeah it's it's it's a chance for Leeds to
00:59kick start their campaign with a win of course against a let's be honest a newly promoted side
01:04Leeds will go to this as heavy favourites obviously to win this game when it's at home
01:09but at the same time it is a potential banana skin I'll say that under my breath but
01:17you'd have to back Leeds surely wouldn't you go into this one? Yeah I mean to be honest
01:22actually and this is not no disrespect to Portsmouth and you know obviously could end
01:25up sort of doing a you know another show next week reflecting on a one mil Portsmouth win or
01:29even a draw or whatever but this is one of those games where Leeds are odds on favourites and strong
01:34odds on favourites and I can see why and to be honest I'm surprised they're not a little bit
01:37shorter in the betting and there probably might be by the time the game kicks off because it's
01:40just one of those ones where and I think even Portsmouth would look at it and say this as well
01:44where everything sort of like points towards them you know everything really I mean they've had a
01:48perfect pre-season they've won four games out of four there seems like really good momentum going
01:52into the season they seem to have bounced back you know from the playoff final defeat they've
01:56looked good in those games as well it's not just a case of getting the results they've actually
02:00looked and played pretty well yeah all right you know Archie Gray and Somerville have moved on but
02:04there's obviously other players there as well I mean they've got a better squad and a better team
02:08than Portsmouth and again that's no disrespect to them because they've obviously just come up
02:11from League One and to be fair to Portsmouth I fully expect they'll do I fully expect they'll
02:15do okay this season I mean when a team comes up from the you know division below then obviously
02:20quite often that team can be installed as like favourites to go down or whatever but I don't
02:24think that's you know certainly not the case of Portsmouth I think they're about there's about
02:27seven or eight teams that are shorter in the bet and then to go down they've got a very good young
02:31manager in John Macino and some decent players but so you know it won't be easy absolutely but
02:37I mean Leeds are at home as well Portsmouth also have got injury worries as well news of that
02:42earlier in the week Jacob Farrell who was signed this summer is definitely going to miss the game
02:46so is Tom McIntyre so that's two out Josh Murphy's another one they signed this summer from Oxford
02:50he's an injury I think he'll be okay but he's still an injury doubt so you know it's all sort
02:54of stacking up and they've they have you know definitely there's no beating around the bush
02:57they've had a disappointing pre-season in terms of results losing at Charlton a draw of MK Dons
03:03and then a four nil defeat at home to Wickham and remember after that game Macino was you know
03:07pretty seething about it really and he sort of said you know we can't just sort of like you know
03:10play like this one week and then turn it on when we want and stuff and the only way he looked at it
03:15was that they had time to turn it around so yeah everything points towards Leeds doesn't it Daniel
03:19I think you're totally right but then this is a championship and nothing should really surprise
03:23you but I mean in terms of like you know and again I could keep reiterating there's no disrespect
03:27whatsoever you look at the fixtures and if you wanted one to start off with and that's a pretty
03:31good one at home you know against a newly promoted side who you would think would take time to find
03:35their feet so no excuses you know they've got to go in there I mean they've got four wins out of
03:39four now in pre-season but that means nothing it's all about the season itself and you know
03:44Leeds were held back by the start they had last season in terms of the points to go or lack of
03:48points over the first few games and this has to be three you know it's nothing's must win at this
03:54stage of the season hadn't even started you know I mean but it feels like you need to get a win
03:57here and get going because we looked at the fixtures Daniel didn't we and actually when you
04:00go through them it's not that easy to start particularly you know when you've got you know
04:04West Brom away on the horizon and Burnley's not too far away and things like that so you need to
04:08be banking three from from this game and you know we'll just remain to see what the team is
04:14I probably you know expect Matteo Joseph will probably get the nod I don't see why not we
04:17talked about this last week but we did he got the nod again he got the nod against Valencia
04:2114 minutes later he scored and I just don't see why he wouldn't have him as your first choice
04:25number nine it's certainly until Bamford's backhand fully fitting in his rhythm and even then
04:29if Joseph hits the ground running it might be you know he might be already established as that so
04:34that'll be an interesting one to see what happens there the same in midfield and Ilya Gruev got the
04:38nod over Rothwell in the Valencia friendly so probably expecting that to be honest you'd
04:43probably expect the same team that lined up against Valencia you know we said that in last
04:47week's show and I don't see why not Jadon Bogle went off injured he'd be the only one he'd you
04:51know be able to worry about but I think that was expected to be a dead leg so yeah I mean look I
04:55mean things can change very very quickly but there's no doubt there's you know positive air
05:00at Leeds they're looking good and you know they will be expected to kick off with a victory and
05:06they should do to be quite honest but should do doesn't always work out in this game does it so
05:10we will wait and see and not count any chickens no you're very right we'll briefly touch on the
05:17borough game of course itself but we'll perhaps look at that more next week when it's about to
05:21happen so yeah it's a league cup game of course cup competitions are always important especially
05:29for those in the in the in the lower leagues because you know it's a chance it's a more of
05:32a realistic chance at a trophy so yeah it's it's a tough one though because of course you're playing
05:38at a fellow championship side and I you know spoke very highly of borough on last week's episode so
05:44yeah it's a tricky one we won't go into which deal but it's a it's a tricky one to start
05:48in the you know it definitely it definitely is I mean you know apart from being drawn away like
05:53I mean it's probably about as hard as a game as I could have got realistically you know to start
05:57off with in the league cup because I mean I know obviously borough missed out on the playoffs last
06:00season but it got quite near in the end and they just had so many injuries last season they could
06:05never get a fully settled side and stuff and I don't think it's any secret I think everybody
06:10expects them to be there or thereabouts this season I think they are from the four favourites
06:13in the in the list for next season's championship and I'd be very very surprised if they didn't make
06:18the playoffs playoffs at least really I mean I think that's probably what you're talking for
06:22them very good manager Michael Carrick obviously everyone knows that got some good players in
06:27Luke Ayling's return to Ellen Road of course that'll be the sort of like big headline act in
06:30this I suppose there's too many plays and I don't see why he won't I mean the other thing to look
06:35at is is the tight turnaround in this because obviously both teams will be playing you know
06:39at the weekend in the league then that then the league cup game on the Wednesday and then playing
06:42again at the following weekend and it's particularly tight with Leeds in terms of obviously a Wednesday
06:46night fixture followed by Westbrook on the way Saturday lunchtime so I mean you know you've got
06:51like what two and a half days later really I mean that's a really tight turnaround and I'm sure
06:54Daniel Farkel mentioned that because that does seem like a big ask straight away but then you
06:58know that's the championship for you isn't it really and you've got to sort of crack on with it
07:01so Leeds will be favourites for that again Leeds will be favourites for every single game this
07:06season just about I mean there were there were last season I don't I literally don't think they
07:10were not favourites for any maybe the Leicester one potentially but other than that they'll be
07:15favourites for every single game this season you know Leicester sort of fall off a cliff or
07:18something and and it's the case again and including obviously cup games could be different
07:22but this is another championship team they're at home they're on I think they're about four to six
07:26um or about fours so yeah I mean one of those games you could see going either way though I
07:31expect there'll be changes for Leeds because you know purely because of the I mean I know it's
07:36early in the season but the fact you're playing Saturday Tuesday sorry Saturday Wednesday Saturday
07:40and Leeds got you know options I expect there will be changes in in some formation some shape
07:45or form but it's about getting that balance right if that's the case isn't it making changes but not
07:50making too many um and obviously straight to pens I think if it's a draw so yeah and to be quite
07:58honest um that won't surprise me whatsoever um because I don't think they'll be I think I expect
08:02Leeds will probably you know I mean you would think would probably have the better season than
08:06Borough but I mean I expect Borough will be very very competitive and um yeah a draw won't surprise
08:10me at all in that game so be braced for penalties um but let's just you know hopefully get through
08:15and then it's a cup run started um but I mean it's always a funny one with Leeds because
08:20they haven't had a good cup run for ages really it got a little bit better recently but um they
08:24haven't had a serious serious long deep cup run for a while and people would want one but equally
08:28I mean you know everybody let's be honest about it all people want to do is get out of the division
08:32so um you know sort of try and get through the Borough game without any sort of damage if that
08:36makes sense yeah of course the league is the priority this season but yeah that is it that
08:41they are Leeds opening two fixtures