Leeds United will host Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday night, looking to boost their survival hopes with a win here.
Leeds United are without a win in the last five Premier League matches, and they will be desperate for a victory in the game vs Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday night. The Whites are 15th in the league table, and they cannot afford to drop points if they want to survive in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Brentford have done well this season, and they are seventh in the Premier League table. However, the Bees have picked up just one win from their last five Premier League matches. They will need to raise their performance levels to achieve a good result here.
The last few matches between these two teams have been evenly contested, and four of the last six meetings have ended in a draw. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
Daniel Farke will be without Gabriel Gudmundsson due to suspension. However, there is some good news, as Noah Okafor has recovered from a hamstring injury to be fit and available to take on Brentford. Leeds United will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation vs Brentford, with Lucas Perri in goal.
In the back three, Sebastiaan Bornauw will start alongside Jaka Bijol and Joe Rodon. Meanwhile, Jayden Bogle and James Justin will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit the away side on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Ao Tanaka and Ilia Gruev will provide defensive cover and physicality in the middle of the park. Brenden Aaronson will add drive to the midfield alongside them. Finally, Lukas Nmecha will lead the line for Leeds United, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin alongside him.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Perri; Bornauw, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Aaronson, Tanaka, Gruev, Justin; Nmecha, Calvert-Lewin
Brentford
Fabio Carvalho is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while Antoni Milambo, Joshua Dasilva, Aaron Hickey, Vitaly Janelt, and Rico Henry are also ruled out. Brentford will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Leeds United, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
Michael Kayode and Keane Lewis-Potter will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit the hosts on the break. Nathan Collins will form the central defensive partnership alongside Sepp van den Berg.
As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmolyuk will look to protect the defence and win the ball back for their side. Mikkel Damsgaard will start as the central attacking midfielder and help create opportunities in the final third.
Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade will start on the flanks. They will look to open up the opposition defence with their pace, flair, and movement. Finally, Igor Thiago will spearhead the Brentford attack vs Leeds United on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago
Key Stats
- Leeds United have failed to score in their last three Premier League matches.
- Four of the last six matches between these two teams have ended in a draw.
- Brentford have picked up two wins from their last six Premier League matches.
- Leeds United have picked up one win from their last six Premier League matches.
- Brentford lost seven of their first eight away Premier League games this season (W1), with only Wolves (1) picking up fewer points on the road than the Bees in this time (3). Brentford have now won five of their last seven on the road (D1 L1), with only Arsenal (18) picking up more away points than the Bees in this run (16).
Player to Watch
Igor Thiago
The Brentford striker has done well in the Premier League this season and he is the Premier League’s second-highest scorer. He will look to make his mark in the final third and punish the Leeds United defence.
Thiago has netted 19 Premier League goals this season, and he can become the third Brentford player to score 20 in a season, along with Ivan Toney in 2022/23 and Bryan Mbeumo in 2024/25. Should Thiago score on Saturday, the Bees would have the most different players score 20+ goals in a season since they joined the league in 2021/22.
Brentford will depend on him to deliver in the final third and help them grind out all three points. They have dropped quite a few points in the recent matches, and they need their star players to step up and produce a defining performance here. So, it is hardly surprising that the Brazilian striker is a captaincy candidate in FPL for Gameweek 31.
Prediction
Leeds United 1-1 Brentford
Both teams are desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close game. The last few outings between these two sides have been quite evenly matched, and this one is unlikely to be any different.
Leeds United will not want to drop points at home, and Brentford will be desperate for a win. Both teams will play for a victory, and they are likely to get on the score sheet. However, it will be difficult to separate them on current form. They are quite equally matched right now. The two sides are likely to share the spoils in a draw.
