Southampton now have huge reason to beat Leeds United at Elland Road: View | OneFootball

Southampton will be extremely disappointed following their 5-0 defeat at Leicester City on Tuesday night.

Coming into this game at the King Power Stadium, they would have been hoping to bounce back from their defeat against Cardiff City and disrupt the Foxes' title push.

But they capitulated spectacularly in the Midlands, conceding five and denting their morale ahead of the final two games of the campaign.

With automatic promotion looking extremely unlikely now, the Saints will need to gear themselves up for the play-offs, with the club still having a good chance of securing promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

They may have lost some key players last summer, including Romeo Lavia and the long-serving James Ward-Prowse, but they have the calibre of players required to reach Wembley and win the play-offs altogether.

Still, Russell Martin's side won't be in the best mood at the moment.

Having been beaten 5-0 at Sunderland earlier in September, the Saints' team would have been vowing that this capitulation at the Stadium of Light wouldn't happen again this season.

But they were embarrassed in front of the Sky Sports cameras, despite the fact there isn't a huge gulf in quality between the two teams compared to other fixtures between some clubs in the Championship this term.

Coming up next, they face Stoke City at home and that should be a home win, considering how poor the Potters have been for much of the campaign.

Then, on the final day, they travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United, a very difficult fixture considering how good the Whites have been at home this term.

Daniel Farke's side have lost just one home game in the league during the 2023/24 campaign, with this defeat coming against Blackburn Rovers earlier this month.

It could definitely be argued that Leeds deserved to win that game, let alone draw it.

With just one point separating Leeds and Ipswich Town at this stage, and the Tractor Boys having a game in hand, the promotion race could go down to the final day.

Leeds will be the firm favourites to win against Queens Park Rangers on the penultimate day of the campaign and that will put plenty of pressure on Kieran McKenna's side.

But if Ipswich can win their next two games, Leeds will need to win against the Saints on the final day of the season, something that won't be an easy task for Farke's men, even with their excellent home record in mind.

They do have a great home record, but their recent defeat at Elland Road against Blackburn shows that they aren't invincible and the Saints are unlikely to be under a huge amount of pressure on the final day.

Unlikely to win automatic promotion, they also can't finish below fourth, which means they will be at home during the second leg of the play-off semis.

That should give Martin's side the opportunity to play with freedom and express themselves, which should enable them to maximise their performance levels.

If they can overcome Leeds on the final day, something they could do despite recent setbacks, that could allow the Saints to prevent the Whites from finishing in the top two and give them a psychological edge ahead of the play-offs.

They won't face Leeds in the play-off semi-final, but they could clash again in the final.

Knowing the Saints have beaten them not too long ago, that could make Leeds fearful ahead of a potential Wembley clash.

And this time, they would be facing off at a neutral ground, which would provide Martin's side with a further boost.