What’s more exciting than the playoffs? Really. It just has everything and tonight we have the first of Championship semi-final second legs as Norwich City travel north to face Leeds United at Elland Road – the finest ground in the country for this sort of clash, I would posit.
The atmosphere for this same fixture in 2019 – when Leeds ultimately fell to Derby County – was truly electric and while the home fans will be without the torment of a 16-year top-flight absence weighing them down this time, similar can be expected tonight.
That said, the first leg of this tie failed to deliver the sort of excitement with which the playoffs are usually associated. A drab 0-0 draw at Carrow Road saw just 13 total shots in total, leading to an xG of 0.76 – only four Championship matches this season have ranked lower on that statistic.
Daniel Farke will surely be the happier of the managers going into this tie, knowing he has Elland Road on his side, but Leeds’ form of late must be a worry. His side have only won once in their last eight, a run which ultimately ended their hopes of automatic promotion.
Norwich bring a similar run into this one, having won just twice in their last eight and David Wagner will not be buoyed by his side’s recent history against Leeds which amounts to just two wins in 12.
The pressure cooker will undoubtedly be cranked up to the max this evening but let us all hope for a match that properly befits the occasion. The 2019 semi-final second leg was one of the most exciting matches of that decade – fingers crossed tonight can be the same.
