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BBC Sport pundit names clear winner of play-off final between Leeds United and Southampton

Dion Dublin has made a prediction about the winner of Sunday’s Championship play-off match between Southampton and Leeds United.

Leeds defeated Norwich City 4-0 on Thursday night in the second half of their match, securing their spot at Wembley after the first leg ended in a stalemate.

After tying the first leg 0-0 and defeating West Brom 3-1 24 hours later, Southampton made sure they would play Leeds in the championship game.

After Russell Martin led the Saints to a 2-1 victory against Leeds at Elland Road on the last day of the regular season, the two teams are getting ready to play for the second time in three weeks.

When Dion Dublin was working on Sunday’s BBC Final Score programme, he shared his predictions for which team would return to the Premier League right away.

Dion Dublin presents on Football Focus by BBC Sport during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Chelsea FC at Turf Moor on October 07, 2...
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images

Dion Dublin predicts Southampton play-off triumph

Given that Southampton defeated Daniel Farke’s team at the beginning of the month and that they also defeated Leeds in September, one could argue that they have the psychological upper hand.

Some, meanwhile, contend that given the intense pressure of a one-off match at Wembley to determine each team’s fate, precedent is meaningless.

When asked about the match on Sunday on Final Score, Dublin said he thought Southampton would beat Leeds three times out of three this season.

“It’s hard because Leeds are good, but I’m going to Southampton. I know Russ as well, and I like watching them play. I think they do things in the right way, and he’s a young manager coming in.”

Southampton must keep Crysencio Summerville quiet

Crysencio Summerville of Leeds United is playing during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leeds United and Southampton at Elland Road in Leeds...
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Southampton’s ability to prevent Crysencio Summerville from having an influence will be crucial to their success on Sunday.

Despite Kyle Walker-Peters and Taylor Harwood-Bellis being able to double up on the Dutch winger at times due to Martin’s adjustment to a back three, the Dutchman was handled well in the league game this month.

The 22-year-old, who is possibly Leeds’ most talented player, was on target against Norwich to score his 20th league goal of the year. He has also contributed nine assists.

Summerville is an attacking player, but he does not enjoy playing defence, and Southampton may take advantage of this by having Walker-Peters and David Brooks create a lot of offensive opportunities down the Leeds left.

In what promises to be an exciting contest, the winner of the game may well depend on who defeats Leeds’ left.

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