Leeds host Norwich in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs as the two teams prepare to clash in the second leg of this intriguing and balanced tie.
The first leg took place at Carrow Road on Sunday, with neither team managing to beat the other in a tense and cagey affair that never came to life. Neither side was willing to risk conceding a goal to score, preferring to maintain defensive stability over attacking flair. That will have to change at Elland Road tonight.
Leeds finished 17 points ahead of Norwich in the Championship table, but that success doesn’t matter in a one-off match. The Canaries will look to upset the hosts, who will themselves be buoyed by the prospect of an immediate return to the Premier League. Only one team can reach the most rewarding fixture in football, pitting them against West Brom or Southampton in the play-off final, but who will make it to Wembley?
Follow all the action below and receive the latest odds and tips here:
Leeds vs Norwich LIVE
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Leeds host Norwich in the semi-finals of the Championship play-off, with kick-off at 8pm
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The first leg ended in a goalless draw at Carrow Road, making this tie a one-match shootout
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Leeds finished 17 points above Norwich in the table but have no guarantees of reaching the Wembley final
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Leeds XI: Meslier, Gray, Firpo, Rodon, Ampadu, Gruev, Kamara, Summerville, Gnonto, Georginio, Piroe
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Norwich XI: Gunn, Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis, McLean, Nunez, Rowe, Sara, Barnes, Sargent
Leeds United FC-Norwich City FC
Team changes between Leeds and Nowich
19:07 , Mike Jones
Leeds boss Daniel Farke will make just one change to his Leeds United squad from Sunday. Sam Byrom drops out and Joel Piroe is brought in. It is an attacking move by the German.
Norwich manager David Wagner makes one change to the team that started the first leg. Borja Sainz is replaced by Ashley Barnes.
Line-ups between Leeds and Norwich
7:00 PM , Mike Jones
Leeds XI: Meslier, Gray, Firpo, Rodon, Ampadu, Gruev, Kamara, Summerville, Gnonto, Georginio, Piroe
Norwich XI: Gunn, Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis, McLean, Nunez, Rowe, Sara, Barnes, Sargent
Norwich and Leeds reached a stalemate after the cagey first leg of the Championship play-offs
6:55 PM , Mike Jones
Norwich and Leeds shared a 0–0 stalemate in the first leg at Carrow Road, leaving the Championship play-off semi-final in the balance.
The clash was of little quality in the final third as neither goalkeeper was overworked, although a Leeds goal was disallowed before half-time.
The tie will be decided on Thursday evening at Elland Road, with both groups of supporters hoping for a little more magic.
Leeds had finished the regular season with 90 points, 17 more than sixth-placed Norwich, who were in 17th place in November when many supporters wanted manager David Wagner sacked.
Norwich and Leeds reached a stalemate after the cagey first leg of the Championship play-offs
Wagner on Sargent
6:50 PM , Mike Jones
Norwich boss David Wagner also spoke about Josh Sargent, who went off with a punch late in the second half of the first leg. He said: “He couldn’t go on. He’s had some problems with his ankle. I haven’t talked to him or the medical staff yet, but he’s a tough guy.
“I’m sure he’ll be ready for Thursday, which is a very, very big game. I really enjoyed today, the atmosphere was fantastic.
“The players were able to keep their focus and concentration high against a team like this. With this quality you are punished if you switch off for a while.
“This never happened today, this is great to see. Unfortunately we were unable to take advantage of the opportunities we created. The transition was fantastic.
“This play-off semi-final was never going to be decided in the first leg, but in the second leg. We are in the race.”
“It was an intense match,” said David Wagner
6:45 PM , Mike Jones
Norwich City head coach David Wagner says this tie is still half time and both teams can win after the draw at Carrow Road.
“It was a very intense match. Quite even, I think. The boys did a fantastic job and put in a good shift,” said Wagner.
“Both teams neutralized each other, there were not many clear-cut chances. Halftime, 0-0 and still very much in the match. I’m absolutely satisfied with the way the boys defended, how they got away.
“This means we keep going, we keep pushing. We recover and prepare for Thursday, a great occasion. This is exactly how I see it, it’s half time, 0-0.
“We lost the first two games of the regular season. The first step we took was keeping a clean sheet and a draw. Now the next step is Thursday.”
Farke reacts to the draw in the first leg
6:40 PM , Mike Jones
Here’s a look at what the Leeds United boss had to say after the draw at Carrow Road:
Farke is backing Leeds to shake off poor form
6:35 PM , Mike Jones
Leeds had been a strong challenger for automatic promotion before losing four of their remaining six games, becoming the first Championship side since Sunderland in 1998 to finish on 90 points and not go straight up.
Farke insisted his players can rebuild their shaken confidence and have previously proven all season that they can rise to the challenge of ‘spotlight’ matches.
“We have no experience, but I wouldn’t change any player,” said the German. “We talked about the winning mentality that I think we have.
“It always felt like the whole season, if there was a special occasion, we were there. When there were spotlight games we won twice against Leicester and twice against Ipswich.
“Yes, more consistency on other days would have been great, but with 90 points you can’t say much about lack of consistency.”
Daniel Farke reacts to the first leg
6:30 PM , Mike Jones
“When you play a play-off semi-final here with two legs, an away match and, above all, a clean sheet on a difficult ground, it is always a good and solid result,” Leeds boss Daniel Farke said after the first leg. Sunday. “A good basement situation for the second leg at home, there’s no doubt about that.
“I am happy with the performance and also happy with the result. It is clear that the last games in the regular season were not that great in terms of results and we also conceded too many goals after many clean sheets in the season.
“There is a huge game on Thursday evening and it is only half time and we have to keep going.
“I think it will be a nice, quite impressive atmosphere on Thursday. But we must also ensure that we do not become over-enthusiastic. So it will also be very important to show good mental strength at this time.”
Tonight’s match officials
18:25 , Mike Jones
Australian Jarred Gillett will be the man in the middle of the second leg, with Neil Davies and Nick Greenhalgh as assistant referees.
The fourth official is Rebecca Welch.
What happened in the first stage?
6:20 PM , Mike Jones
It was a cagey game at Carrow Road, with neither side really creating chances that could have turned the game around.
Jonathan Rowe and Dimi Giannoulis posed threats for Norwich running in behind the Leeds defense, while Josh Sargent’s misjudged header before half-time came the closest the Canaries came to a goal.
As the clock ticked down in the second half, Leeds showed more initiative and Crysencio Summerville forced a save from Angus Gunn at his near post. The Scotland international was then called upon again to meet Jaidon Anthony’s curling effort from the edge of the penalty area.
We hope for a more exciting match tonight.
Leeds vs Norwich Prediction
6:15 PM , Mike Jones
Norwich held on at Carrow Road against a Leeds United side who were more focused on keeping a clean sheet than going for the win.
That will be different tonight and backed by their home supporters, the Whites will be a force to be reckoned with. Norwich’s best chance of winning is if they score first and maintain that lead, but it’s hard to look beyond Leeds reaching Wembley.
Leeds 3-1 Norwich (3-1 aggregate)
Predicted lineups and latest odds
18:10 , Mike Jones
Here’s how we see both teams lining up at Elland Road:
Leeds XI: Meslier; Byram, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Kamara, Gruev; Gnonto, Gray, Summerville; Rutter.
Norwich XI: Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis; Nunez, McLean; Rowe, Sara, Sainz; Sargent.
And given their home advantage, it should come as no surprise that Leeds are the bookmakers’ favorites to go through and win tonight. That said, this match could be a closer affair than previously thought. These are the latest odds:
Leeds win 3/5
Norwich win 9/2
Our football gambling sites can be found here.
Leeds vs Norwich early team news
18:05 , Mike Jones
Daniel James passed a fitness test and was cleared to come off the bench for Leeds in the first leg, although Patrick Bamford will again miss out. Pascal Struijk’s season is over due to an injury.
Norwich suffered a scare when Josh Sargent appeared to aggravate an ankle problem late at Carrow Road, but David Wagner suggested he was confident Sargent could fight through to start again. A calf injury for Ashley Barnes is more of a concern.
How to watch Leeds vs Norwich
6:00 PM , Mike Jones
The second leg of the Championship play-off semi-final kicks off at Elland Road on Thursday 16 May at 8pm BST.
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage from 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the action via Sky Go.
If you’re not a Sky customer, you can get one NOWTV day pass here watch without a subscription.
Good afternoon!
15:58 , Mike Jones
Welcome to That of the Independents coverage of tonight’s play-off semi-final.
This is the second leg of the match between Leeds United and Norwich City, meaning one of the teams will head to Wembley, while the other will be retired for another season in the second division.
The first leg was played at Carrow Road and ended in a goalless draw, although tonight’s match is expected to be very different. Both teams need to win and avoid a penalty shootout, so there will be plenty of action in both final thirds.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and latest updates all evening, so stay with us as we build up to kick-off at 8pm.