This month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak intends to visit Wembley Stadium to support his beloved Southampton. During his time in Downing Street, Sunak was occasionally spotted at St Mary’s Stadium, where he is a noted supporter of Russell Martin’s Saints.
Naturally, Sunak was expecting Southampton would automatically qualify for the English Premier League this season, but their recent poor play guarantees that they will secure a play-off spot going into the last week of the regular season. When they visit Elland Road on Saturday to play Leeds United, who now realize they need a bit of a final-day miracle to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League, they won’t have much to play for.
Leeds must defeat Saints in addition to forcing Ipswich to lose at home against Huddersfield Town, who are all but relegated—a situation that doesn’t seem realistic, to be honest. Leeds will therefore most likely find themselves starting a play-off campaign after Saturday’s full time.
Thus, it’s possible that on May 26, at the national stadium, United and Southampton will square off in the play-off final—a match that Sunak would undoubtedly consider essential.
“We’re not having a great finish to the season,” Sunak remarked to a West Ham United fan while on a tour of a DHL delivery facility. “But basically, I would have said, ‘Great, I’ll take it,’ if you had told me at the beginning of the season that we would be in the play-offs.
“So ideally, Wembley and the play-off finals… Anything might happen, but I’m certain in it. For us, Flynn Downes has been a huge blessing. James WardThe guy you stole from us, Prowse, is fine. Although I’m quietly confident, anything can happen in the playoffs. I’m hoping to travel to Wembley towards the end of May.
Register for our free Leeds United newsletter email to receive breaking news and a customized round-up of the team’s news. Martin joined Southampton from Swansea City last summer, and the team had an up and down start to the season. But a 3-1 victory over the Whites at St. Mary’s in September began a 22-game league winning streak.
The Saints’ performance after they unexpectedly won the automatic promotion spots in February has been erratic; in their previous 15 Championship games, they have won six and lost seven. But they will want to finish the regular season well and go into the playoffs on the strength of a victory that will bolster their spirits going into their semi-final first leg on May 12 against the team that finishes fifth.
If Leeds must go through the play-offs in order to gain promotion, they will play the team that finishes sixth in the semi-finals; the other teams that could play are Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, and Hull City.