Dion Dublin has shared his prediction for the Championship play-off final with Leeds set to face Southampton for a place in the Premier League next season.
It is the Championship play-off many would have expected, with both Leeds and Southampton blowing their opponents away in the second-leg of their respective semi-finals.
Leeds thrashed Norwich 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday in a game which felt almost as comfortable as the final day of the 2019/20 season when Marcelo Bielsa’s side thrashed Charlton with the title already wrapped up.
And Southampton responded with a statement of their own against West Brom at St Mary’s on Friday.
Dion Dublin predicts play-off winner between Leeds and Southampton
It is the two sides who just fell short in the automatic-promotion race who are set to face off at Wembley, so it is a fascinating matchup.
And speaking on BBC Final Score (broadcast on 19/5; 16:12), Dion Dublin tipped the Saints to edge Leeds as he praised Russell Martin.
“I know Russ as well, and I like watching them play, and I think they do things in the right way and he’s a young manager coming in, so I’ll go – it’s difficult because Leeds are good – but I’m going to go Southampton,” he said.
Daniel Farke’s men have chance to secure spot in folklore
Certainly, when it comes to the form book, you can definitely understand why Dublin has tipped Southampton, with Leeds losing away and at home against Russell Martin’s side.
Leeds fans also do not need to be reminded of just how painful the play-offs have tended to be down the years, with so many scars from games against Watford, Doncaster, Millwall and Derby.
Obviously, there is no reason for those scars to hurt this Leeds side, but there is an element of doubt over which Leeds team will turn up at Wembley.
The Whites showed throughout the season that there is arguably no better team in the division when Farke’s side are at their very best.
But the last few weeks have shown that there can be quite the difference between how bad Leeds can be, and how incredibly brilliant they have the potential to be.