Sky Sports pundit David Prutton feels Charlton Athletic could frustrate his former side Leeds United on Saturday, after a recurring theme of Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure returned against Derby County.
The Whites were held to a score draw by Phillip Cocu’s Rams last time out in the second-tier, when a stoppage-time equaliser by Chris Martin overturned the hosts’ early lead from when Max Lowe put the ball into the back of his own net.
Leeds were the side in the ascendancy for much of the tie, and boasted 63.4% of possession by the time Olivier Langford blew to bring a halt to proceedings, with which they fashioned 13 shots on Kelle Roos’ net to the Rams’ five, according to WhoScored data.
Prutton feels Leeds will not have known how they failed to see out the game with the win, having also seen Mateusz Klich miss a penalty and Patrick Bamford fashion a number of chances to notch his fifth goal of the campaign.
Leeds not putting three points on the board from a game they dominated was not the first such instance, though, and Prutton has suggested that Charlton could prove to be another frustrating opponent as they go in search of their first win since August.
“The international break came at a bad time for Charlton,” Prutton noted, as he predicted a 1-1 draw for Sky Sports. “They were flying high, but since then have lost two games on the spin – dropping from second to out of the top-six.
“Leeds won’t know how they didn’t beat Derby last week, but that is not the first time we have said that about one of their results since Marcelo Bielsa took over. I think Charlton could frustrate them as well.”
Even with Charlton’s strong start to the campaign, Lee Bowyer’s Addicks have not been at their best when playing at the Valley, with Conor Gallagher’s winner against Brentford coming in a game the hosts allowed Thomas Frank’s Bees to take 21 shots to their three (WhoScored).
Josep Clotet Ruiz’s Birmingham also fashioned six of eleven shots on target in their trip to the South East, before ultimately leaving with just a point to show for their efforts.
If Charlton are to cause Leeds any problems come the weekend, they will need to ensure that Bielsa’s men are not awarded as many opportunities to score, as the Addicks will otherwise be relying on history repeating itself and the Whites wasting the chances they will inevitably fashion.
No Championship side have averaged as many shots per game as Leeds (20) have when on the road this term, with Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday joint in second (14.5).
Leeds fans, would you start Eddie Nketiah instead of Bamford to avoid history repeating itself?
