Neither Brentford’s European dreams nor Leeds United’s plans for Premier League safety got big bumps from Saturday’s match under the lights at Elland Road, a scoreless draw between the 15th-place hosts and their seventh-place visitors.
WATCH — Leeds United v Brentford full match replay
There was plenty of fight, commitment, and ambition but not much sharpness in a 90 minutes that featured under a single combined expected goal and under 20 combined shot attempts.
Brentford’s point gives them 46 on the season, above eighth-place Everton on goal differential, three back of fifth-place Liverpool and five behind fourth-place Aston Villa.
Leeds’ point has them four clear of the bottom three with fellow bottom-third sides Wolves, Burnley, West Ham, and Spurs still on their fixture list.
More to come...
What’s next?
The international break will yield to an FA Cup quarterfinal for Leeds at West Ham on April 5 before they’ll head to Manchester United in the Premier League on April 13.
Brentford wait until April 11 for their next match, a huge European six-pointer at home to Everton.
Leeds vs Brentford final score: 0-0
Leeds vs Brentford live updates
Full time — Leeds 0-0 Brentford
We leave the match as we started it — in search of a goal.
Ouattara wins late danger
Ethan Ampadu slides Ouattara’s dribble out from under him in the fifth minute of stoppage time and this may well be the last and most dangerous chance of the game.
The Bees are maybe 25 yards from goal and the attempt will be fairly central.
Keane Lewis-Potter’s effort cannot defy the leaping wall, and Jaka Bijol’s face bore the brunt of it. He needs a look from a trainer and this game will drag another moment.
Farke makes another tweak
Dan James replaces center back Pascal Struijk in a forward-hoping move.
Bees sub
Dango Ouattara looks to shake things up and replaces Kevin Schade in the 77th minute.
Leeds subs
Daniel Farke’s the first to switch things up, bringing off USMNT attacker Brenden Aaronson and German forward Lukas Nmecha in favor of Ao Tanaka and Noah Okafor.
0-0, 69'.
Hour mark
We’re still here, promise!
This scrappy affair has not really yielded moments of attacking promise, though we’ve seen plenty of blistering runs through the middle third.
Halftime — Leeds United 0-0 Brentford
Not a lot of entertainment in those 45 minutes.
Leeds took a few more shots and had more of the ball. If there’s an edge here, they have it. But that’s a big conditional.
Names like Ouattara, Gruev, Okafor, Gnonto, and Nelson are on the bench. Will we need them to deliver us some fun?
Some lively bodies
There hasn’t been a ton of sharp action but Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ethan Ampadu look particularly ready for Leeds.
For Brentford, the wide men look the focus with Keane Lewis-Potter on the left and Michael Kayode on the right.
Leeds lineup
Darlow, Justin, Bogle, Struijk, Rodon, Bijol, Ampadu, Stach, Aaronson, Nmecha, Calvert-Lewin
Brentford lineup
Kelleher, Kayode, Collins, Pinnock, Van den Berg, Henderson, Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Schade, Lewis-Potter, Thiago
Leeds vs Brentford preview
Brentford’s European dreams and Leeds United’s plans for Premier League safety are both in precarious positions ahead of Saturday’s match under the lights at Elland Road.
The seventh-place Bees have dipped four points behind fifth-place Liverpool and six off fourth-place Aston Villa but now have company behind them with Everton and Newcastle among a group nipping at their heels.
WATCH — Leeds United v Brentford
Leeds, meanwhile, are just three points above the bottom three and Daniel Farke is eager to quickly put some more distance between his team and relegation.
Farke’s men have harvested draws this year but wins stack points in triplicate and they haven’t managed that in five games. Leeds started the season 3W-2D-8L. They’ve since only lost four times but have also only won four times, drawing a remarkable nine matches in that span.
Leeds United team news, focus
QUESTIONABLE: Gabriel Gudmundsson (suspension)
Brentford team news, focus
OUT: Aaron Hickey (thigh), Vitaly Janelt (ankle), Rico Henry (thigh), Antoni Milambo (knee), Fabio Carvalho (torn ACL), Josh Dasilva (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Mikkel Damsgaard (knee)
Leeds vs Brentford prediction
Leeds haven’t scored in three Premier League matches, while Brentford seem to find goals in bunches. This was a 1-1 split at the Gtech Community Stadium and a draw could be in the stars but... Igor Thiago and Dango Ouattara have been so dangerous this season and provide a dimension that Leeds have struggled to consistently deliver on the pitch. Leeds 1-2 Brentford.
How to watch Leeds vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 4pm ET Saturday
Venue: Elland Road — Beeston, Leeds
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Stream live on USA Network
