Leeds United’s buffer in the Premier League survival battle has been reduced considerably after this week’s results dragged them closer to the relegation places.
West Ham’s win over Fulham and Nottingham Forest’s draw with Manchester City on Wednesday night have made the fight at the bottom even tighter.
Leeds also added to their own problems by losing at home to Sunderland on Tuesday. That defeat leaves them just three points clear of the relegation zone with nine matches left to play this season.
Tottenham plunged to new depths on Thursday night when they lost 3-1 at home against Crystal Palace, which is set to hand a major boost to Leeds United’s survival chances.
Crystal Palace will likely rest players against Leeds United
Crystal Palace were under the threat of getting dragged into the relegation dogfight a few weeks back, when they were struggling to win games.
However, Palace put together a few decent results, and the win over Spurs on Thursday night took them to 38 points in the league table.
The South London club are now more or less secure and are unlikely to get relegated from the Premier League with ten games left in the season.
Palace now have the luxury of focusing on the Europa Conference League, where they are being considered as the favourites to win the European tournament.
The Eagles will qualify for the Europa League if they win the Conference League, and with Premier League survival more or less guaranteed, they can now focus on winning in Europe.
This is huge for Leeds, who are set to travel to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Sunday, 15th March.
Leeds are likely to face a rotated squad at Selhurst Park
Leeds have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since November. However, they were unlucky to lose both games against Manchester City and Sunderland.
The Whites will be in FA Cup action this Sunday, but a week later, they will travel to London for a huge Premier League game against Palace.
They will hope to bounce back at Selhurst Park, and they could receive some relief as Palace will likely rest players against Leeds at home.
Crystal Palace’s match against Leeds comes in between the two legs of their Europa Conference League tie with AEK Larnaca.
Oliver Glasner’s men are the favourites to win the Conference League, and with Premier League survival more or less secure, they can afford to focus on Europe.
The Palace boss has not rotated much, but he is likely to preserve some of his best players for the round of 16 tie against Larnaca.
This could be a huge chance for Leeds pick up a big away win and push towards securing Premier League survival.
