Russell Martin issues early Southampton v Leeds United prediction | OneFootball

Southampton boss Russell Martin has issued an early prediction for his side's Championship play-off final match against Leeds United.

The Saints triumphed over West Bromwich Albion last night to reach the Championship play-off final, giving them a chance to face off against Leeds for a place in the Premier League.

Speaking to the Daily Echo following his side's victory over the Baggies, he suggested the game would be a nervy affair for him and his players, but a brilliant game of football overall.

Russell Martin: It's going to be a top game of football

While basking in the delight of reaching a play-off final in his first season as Southampton manager, former Norwich City player Martin made sure to speak to the press to express his pride in reaching the final and he also issued a very early prediction for the game.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, he said, "It's going to be one to look forward to and to also feel a lot of butterflies and nerves throughout the week. We have to manage that with the players and staff. The players deserve that.

"They deserve the opportunity because of how brave they've been, how much belief and understanding they have now and what they're doing, how much they've stuck with it even when it's been a bit bumpy at times.

"I said that from day one, it wasn't going to be easy to change a style of play and a culture and a club that had a tough, tough year the year before.

"They've deserved the opportunity, they've earned it, they've earned every single bit of it, and now they have to really make the most of it. Tonight was a beautiful moment for us.

"We've had so many here this season. The fans were incredible, but we have a chance to have a better moment next week. So we have to make sure that's the case."

Southampton and Leeds' trip to the final

With the match-up between the two sides now confirmed, nerves are set to be at an all-time high, as this game will be of the highest possible stakes.

The Championship play-off final is often coined as "The Richest Game in Football" due to the large amount of prize money that is at stake for the winner, but that is not all that is available.

Both Southampton and Leeds suffered relegation from the Premier League at the end of 2022/23, so the winner of this match will have the pride of being promoted back at the first attempt, and for the loser, they suffer the ignominy of having to fight it out again for a potential automatic or play-off promotion spot.

The two sides were part of a four-way battle to get to this tense final, with Leeds having to play against Norwich, and Southampton having to face off against West Brom due to the set-up the playoffs take.

In typical play-off fashion, the first legs of the semi-finals were nervy affairs, with both ending 0-0. However, with the shackles off and having to give their absolute all, both Leeds and Southampton confidently beat their opponents.

Leeds beat Norwich on Thursday night by four goals to nil, and Southampton, eventually, triumphed over West Brom 3-1 last night, setting up the final to be played on Sunday 26th May.

It is going to feel like an extraordinarily long week for both sets of fans, with plenty of nail-biting and jittery nerves surely coming to the surface, given how much is riding on this game, but since both teams have shown such great goalscoring feats in their respective semi-finals, next Sunday's final may just be one for the ages.