Brighton v Leeds: Lilywhites revel in a trip to the south coast

Gus Poyet must have endured many sleepless nights wondering just what it is that happens to his team when autumn rolls around.

After an opening day defeat at Hull, they went on to win five of their next six games amassing 14 goals in the process. This took them to the 22nd of September when the wins and goals promptly flew south for the winter. They’re now six without a win, losing three times and, incredibly, finding the net just twice. This makes their price of 21/20 to beat Leeds well worth swerving.

The same thing happened last season – the bubble of a strong start was burst in mid-September and the Seagulls went on a 10-game barren spell, lasting until the second week of November.

Leeds’ visit to the Amex Stadium has arrived a week too soon it would seem and the Lilywhites’ recent record on the south coast does the hosts no favours either.

Neil Warnock’s men have relished the long trip down to Brighton – they haven’t lost in four ventures, winning three times. They played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the repeat of this fixture last season which, coincidentally, was also moved to a Friday night for broadcast purposes.

They’ll be in good spirits ahead of this game having gone three away trips without defeat, scoring six times in the process. One goal could well be all they need to claim the points given the hosts’ lack of confidence in the final third; a 1-0 Leeds win is available at 10/1.

An away win or draw with fewer than three goals scored is very much worth a bet at a generous price of 2/1, while the 4/6 that says Brighton will score either one or no goals has potential for windfall.

Leeds’ no-fuss approach to attacking always makes them a good bet to score goals and their robust set up makes them difficult to break down. This heaps value on the enticing 5/1 that says they’ll win this one to nil.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date