Leeds United will be keen to get their faltering Championship campaign back on track when they take on West Bromwich Albion on Friday night.
Leeds United will welcome West Bromwich Albion to Elland Road on Friday in a clash where both teams harbour dreams of rekindling their status as Premier League giants.
Leeds United, now under new ownership and management, are reeling after picking up just one point from the opening two Championship games and are already playing catch-up in their efforts to gain promotion. West Brom are currently in their third Championship season since being relegated and can show a mirror to Leeds that a return to the top flight will be far from easy.
Daniel Farke will have to deal with his disjointed side atleast until the summer transfer window ends. He will hope that the unsettled attackers will knuckle down and help the club secure promotion back to the Premier League. Securing a first win this week will certainly see Leeds heave a sigh of relief and give them something to build upon.
Carlos Corberan has a promising squad with a few youth talents coming through. However, his poor record away from home has often derailed his side’s chances of building momentum. Yet to win this season, a poor defence is West Brom’s Achilles heel.
With Elland Road in full roar, there is every reason to believe Leeds could put them to the sword even with the missing stars on their roster. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up against each other and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฒ๐น ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐: "Sam Greenwood is back in training and trained the whole week. The same for Georginio and Joe Rodon, so they are also in the mix to be selected." pic.twitter.com/UTfINX6BM5
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 16, 2023
Injuries continue to plague the Elland Road outfit as they adjust to life back in the second tier of English football. Crysencio Summerville’s injury time leveller against Cardiff City on opening day failed to act as a rallying moment for the Whites as they fell 1-0 to Birmingham City the subsequent matchday.
This sees Leeds lie in the 19th spot, having picked up just one point out of a maximum six. With ambitions of a quick return to the top flight amidst the ranks, Farke will not want his side to fall any further, jeopardising their chances of securing promotion.
The Leeds United boss will be without Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Tyler Adams, Patrick Bamford, Junior Firpo and Summerville all of whom are out injured. To add to Farke’s woes, Everton target Wilfred Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra continue to train separately and are not involved with the senior squad at the moment. The chances of them mending bridges and returning to contention does not appear plausible at least until the summer transfer window shuts.
It is not all bad news as Georginio Rutter is back available. He is likely to lead the line in the absence of Bamford and Gnonto. Sam Greenwood is back in training but is unlikely to be thrust straight into the starting XI. A 4-2-3-1 formation appears to be the flavour of the day with Ilian Meslier in goal.
Luke Ayling and Sam Byram will hold down the flanks with Charlie Cresswell and Joe Rodon the starting centre backs. Archie Gray and Ethan Ampadu will form the double pivot, giving the trio of Daniel James, Ian Poveda and Joe Gelhardt a chance to get forward.ย Rutter should start upfront and is expected to interchange positions occasionally with Gelhardt down the right.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Ayling, Cresswell, Rodon, Byram; Gray, Ampadu; James, Poveda, Gelhardt; Rutter
West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies are winless in the current campaign in the league and have an abysmal away record under manager Carlos Corberan. With Leeds United reeling from a poor run themselves, one could argue West Brom have a good chance of eking out a surprise.
Corberan should be without the quartet of Adam Reach, Daryl Dike, Grady Diangana and Martin Kelly. The Baggies boss will be expected to retain the 3-4-3 formation with Alex Palmer in goal.
Ready for our next @SkyBetChamp challenge. ๐
๐ @LUFC.
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) August 16, 2023
The trio of Semi Ajayi, Cedric Kipre and Erik Pieters will form the backline, with Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend starting out wide on the flanks. The latter duo will be expected to drop back when defending, forming a flat back five.ย
Okay Yokuslu and Jayson Molumby will aim to hold the fort down in the middle of the park with Jed Wallace and John Swift providing the with upfront. Josh Maja is expected to lead the line with fellow new arrival Jeremy Sarmiento settling for a spot on the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Palmer; Ajayi, Kipre, Pieters; Furlong, Molumby, Yokuslu, Townsend; Wallace, Maja, Swift
Key Stats
- Only Middlesbrough have conceded fewer fouls in the Championship this season than Leeds United.ย
- Leeds United are unbeaten in their last five league games against West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies have won just once in their last 12 trips to Leeds United in the league.
- Failing to win on the night will see Leeds United go winless in their opening three games of a league campaign outside the top flight for the first time since 2016/17.
- Leeds United are currently on a 11 game run in the league without securing a single win.
- Since Carlos Corberan took over at The Hawthorns, no other team in the Championship has lost more away games than West Brom. Corberan has failed to see his side find the back of the net against a side coached by Daniel Farke.
Player to Watch
Georginio Rutter
The 21-year-old’s return to action is a welcome relief for Daniel Farke, whose side have struggled to show much bite upfront. This will allow the Leeds boss to redeploy Joe Gelhardt out wide, given his lack of options there.
Rutter is a solid dribbler and often drops back to help the side when not in possession. His clinical ability in front of the goal does need some work but given the uncertainty surrounding Gnonto and Bamford’s injury, the youngster is Leeds’ best bet for the night.
Prediction
Leeds United 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
The game will be a showdown between two teams seeking their first win in the Championship this season. West Bromwich Albion look susceptible at the back and this should see Leeds United buoyed on by a home support to secure a narrow win.
