Leeds vs Tottenham is a game Spurs should control with the ball, and the way to win it is simple to say and hard to do: stop the supply to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and keep him quiet.
Roberto De Zerbi takes his side to Elland Road on Saturday chasing a fourth straight Premier League win, something Tottenham have not managed for more than three years. The last time they did it was in the opening months of Ange Postecoglou’s first season, back in the autumn of 2023.
The timing could hardly be better. The Palace win was the best Spurs have looked all season, and Leeds arrive in a poor run. But Elland Road is never a soft trip, and the one thing that could undo De Zerbi’s side is the kind of physical, direct football they have not had to deal with for a few weeks.
When is Leeds vs Tottenham?
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Kick-off: 12.30pm UK time
Venue: Elland Road, Leeds
It is the last game before the international break, and it is a lunchtime kick-off, which is no bad thing for the away side. Spurs played Leeds at Elland Road at 12.30 last season too and won 2-1.
Why Leeds are there for the taking
Leeds United have gone five league games without a win and scored only twice in that run. Before Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth came a 0-0 draw at Sunderland, a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and a 2-1 loss at Arsenal. Their last league win was the 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle on September 14.
They are still hard to break down. Before the weekend only Arsenal had conceded fewer league goals, and Daniel Farke’s side have drawn 14 league games in 2026, more than a few of them goalless. So this is not a team that gets blown away. It is a team that keeps games tight and hopes to nick something.
That fits the 3-4-2-1 they tend to use, which is close to what Chelsea played against Spurs a fortnight ago. Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka are a decent pair in the middle, but they are not the same level as the midfield Spurs outplayed at Stamford Bridge. Ampadu is also on four yellow cards, one away from a ban.
The Calvert-Lewin problem
If Leeds have a plan to hurt Spurs, it runs through their No.9. We expect them to go long early and often, to hit Calvert-Lewin and fight for every second ball. He is their battering ram, and he is the one player who can turn a game Leeds are losing on possession into one they win on moments.
That puts the spotlight on Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven. The fair criticism of the pair is that they are happier with the ball than in a wrestling match. If they let Calvert-Lewin back into them, bring the ball down and win flick-ons, Leeds will have a real chance. If they get tight, win the first contact and push him away from goal, it is hard to see where else Leeds’ threat comes from.
Both have been in excellent form, and Van Hecke’s header against Palace was his reward for an outstanding week that put him in the Premier League team of the week. But it is worth remembering who Spurs have faced lately. Palace lost Jean-Philippe Mateta to a red card inside 13 minutes, and without their main target man they barely got out of their own half. Leeds will not be so obliging.
Stop the wing-backs, stop the crosses
The other half of the job is further out. Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson give Leeds their width from wing-back, and almost everything they create ends with a cross towards Calvert-Lewin. Cut out that delivery and Leeds look short of ideas, because they are not a side that will pick Spurs apart through the middle.
Set pieces could decide it
Dead balls are the biggest worry. Spurs have not been seriously tested on set pieces in recent weeks, and earlier in the season they were a weak spot. Leeds have real height to throw forward, with Tarik Muharemovic and, if he is fit, Joe Rodon joining Calvert-Lewin in the box. One sloppy corner could undo 80 minutes of control.
It works the other way too. Leeds defend their box aggressively and will head away most of what comes in, so Spurs will not win this by swinging in crosses. They will need to play through the lines and make the one or two clear chances count.
Leeds vs Tottenham team news
Tottenham
De Zerbi said before the Palace game that there was a chance of Tosin Adarabioyo and Lucas Bergvall returning before the international break. Asked about the pair, he said: “Before the international break, for Tosin and Bergvall. Maybe.” Mykhailo Mudryk and Savio will not be back until after the break, and Wilson Odobert is still working his way back from his ACL injury.
Pedro Porro is available. He came on at half-time against Palace, and De Zerbi explained afterwards: “Pedro is ready; we didn’t take risks.” Destiny Udogie also got a few minutes off the bench, and the head coach is hoping for a long run without setbacks for the Italian, as he explained in his latest update on Udogie.
James Maddison was passed fit before the Palace game, and we would like to see him start here. A game this tight is likely to be settled by a moment of quality, a shot from the edge of the box or one pass that opens Leeds up, and that is exactly what he brings.
There is a discipline angle too. Conor Gallagher is on three Premier League bookings, while Archie Gray, Mateus Fernandes, Van Hecke and Van de Ven are on two each, so nobody can afford a needless yellow in a game that will be full of duels.
Leeds United
Joe Rodon is back in training after a hamstring injury, and Farke will decide this week whether he is ready for the squad. Noah Okafor missed the Bournemouth game with an adductor problem and will also be assessed. Gudmundsson was seen limping after being taken off late on at the Vitality Stadium, and James Justin needed painkillers to get through the second half, so Leeds have a few worries of their own.
Can Spurs make it four in a row?
The numbers from the Palace win show how far this team has come. Spurs completed 759 passes, the most they have ever managed in a Premier League game, at 93.12 per cent accuracy, another club record, and had 34 shots to Palace’s two. De Zerbi put the change down to his squad finally playing as a unit. He said: “If we compare Tottenham before the national break and Tottenham after the national break, now we are playing as a team.”
The worry is still at the top end. Only one of the seven goals in the three-match winning run came from a striker, as we looked at in the catch in De Zerbi’s revival, and Leeds will not give up many clear chances.
Our view is that Spurs will have most of the ball and dominate territory. If Van Hecke and Van de Ven win their battle with Calvert-Lewin in the first 15 minutes, a 12.30 crowd will go quiet and the game will drift Tottenham’s way. It will not be comfortable, because it never is at Elland Road, but this side looks like it believes it can win anywhere now.
Prediction: Leeds United 1-2 Tottenham.
