Leeds United evening headlines December 14 2021:
Leeds written off by bookmakers at the Etihad
Marcelo Bielsa and his Leeds United side may have been victorious last time they visited the Etihad stadium - winning 2-1 with 10 men courtesy of a Stuart Dallas brace - but this has not put off bookmakers from offering extremely long odds on the chance of a Whites victory this time out.
According to Grosvernor Casinos, Leeds have only a 17/1 chance of replicating last season's result. This equates to a less than 6% probability of victory. Meanwhile, Guardiola's men are given odds of 1/7, which suggests a probability of 87.5%.
Bookmaker's lack of confidence in the Whites likely comes due to their drop in form this season, as well as the fact that Bielsa's squad have been ravaged by injury. The Whites are without Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo and Robin Koch for tonight's clash with the champions.
While they may be missing so many key men, the odds feel more than a touch harsh, and with everyone seemingly writing the side off ahead of the game, the players have all the motivation they need.
FA charge brought
Leeds have been hit with an FA charge due to the reaction of their players following the award of a 93rd minute penalty against Chelsea on Saturday.
"It is alleged that Leeds United FC failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion when they surrounded the match referee in the 93rd minute and the club has until Thursday [16/12/21] to provide a response," said the FA statement.
The penalty was duly dispatched by Jorginho, giving Chelsea the 3-2 win in stoppage time.
Former star linked with Serie A move
It was only in the summer that Ezgjan Alioski turned down a contract extension at Leeds United which enabled him to move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli for free.
However, there are already rumours about him returning to a top European league, as Serie A's Hellas Verona are linked with winger-turned-fullback.
Interestingly, Verona operate in a man-marking system which Alioski thrived in under the management of Bielsa.
