Leeds United will welcome Huddersfield Town to Elland Road and hope to put the surprise defeat against Stoke City behind them.
Leeds United were stunned by minnows Stoke City at the weekend and will be keen to put the stunning loss behind them when they welcome Huddersfield Town to Elland Road on Saturday.
Daniel Farke’s men have been the epitome of inconsistency this season. But thanks to a series of good results, they are well within striking distance of the second spot. Given Leeds’s volatility, it is in their best interest to finish second and secure automatic qualification rather than take the lottery of the Championship playoffs.
While the home side have lofty ambitions, Huddersfield will have an eye over their shoulder and will want to put as much distance as they can between themselves and the bottom three. The Terriers go into the clash as firm underdogs but will smell blood given Leeds’s recent slip-up against the Potters.
Going into the game, Leeds are nine points behind Ipswich Town in the second spot. A win on the weekend will certainly keep alive a bid for the final automatic promotion spot. The last time Huddersfield visited Leeds was in the 2019/20 season when the Yorkshire giants secured promotion to the top flight.
But the Terriers had the last laugh in the contest as they did the double over Leeds that season. A repeat of the results this season would be a surprise but not outside the realms of possibility if Farke’s men fail to get their act into order.
Darren Moore is still chasing his first win since taking over from Neil Warnock in September. Winning the derby against Leeds at Elland Road would certainly be a rallying point for the visitors as they seek to salvage their campaign. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
🎙 Daniel Farke chats to the press ahead of tomorrow’s Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield https://t.co/WYW1e8HONZ
— Leeds United (@LUFC) October 27, 2023
Daniel Farke has seen several key players return to fitness in the past few weeks. However, given the defeat against Stoke City and the lack of recovery time between games, the Leeds United’s boss will be expected to shuffle his playing squad on the night.
Stuart Dallas, Junior Firpo and Djed Spence are still injured and are unavailable for the game. Patrick Bamford will be pushing for a first league start this season but is likely to settle for a spot on the bench. The veteran drew much flak for his performances last season and did himself little favour by missing a penalty against Stoke.
Farke is likely to retain his 4-2-3-1 formation on Saturday, with players rotated around. Illan Meslier should start in between the sticks behind the back four of Archie Gray, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk and Sam Byram.
Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamada will hold the fort in the middle of the park, freeing up Crysencio Summerville, Joel Piroe and Daniel James to push upfield. Bamford failed to take his opportunity against Stoke and is expected to cede way to Georginio Rutter who has been impressive since his rival at Elland Road in the summer.
The home side have several game-changing options on the bench, and it will hold them in good stead over the course of the 90 minutes.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Struijk, Byram; Kamara, Ampadu; Summerville, Piroe, James; Rutter
Huddersfield Town
The Terriers are under new management following Neil Warnock’s exit, and Darren Moore will be keen to secure his first win against Leeds to get the ball rolling. He is winless in his three-game soon charge so far and has a real fight on his hands to keep them away from the bottom three.
The visitors arrive at Elland Road five points off the bottom three and a poor set of results at the weekend could see them with a serious risk of dropping down the standings. Injuries do not help matters either as the likes of Oliver Turton, David Kasumu, Danny Ward, Loick Ayina and Josh Ruffels are all unavailable for the trip.
📺 Darren Moore’s press conference is live now on HTTV ⤵️#htafc
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) October 27, 2023
Moore is likely to deploy his side in a 3-5-2 formation, with Lee Nicholls in goal. The trio of Yuta Nakayama, Michal Helik and Tom Lees should start at the back and will hope for a better showing than the mauling they received against Cardiff City last time around.
The trio of Jonathan Hogg, Ben Wiles and Jack Rudoni will aim to hold the fort in central midfield, giving Sorba Thomas and Jaheim Headley providing the width down the flanks. Kian Harratt and Josh Koroma will lead the line and hope to catch the Leeds backline napping.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Nicholls; Nakayama, Helik, Lees; Thomas, Wiles, Hogg, Rudoni, Headley; Harratt, Koroma
Key Stats
- This is the first league clash between Leeds United and Huddersfield Town since the 2019/20 season.
- Huddersfield Town have won two of the last three away games to Leeds United at Elland Road.
- A win on Saturday will see Leeds United win four straight home games for the first time since September 2020.
- Huddersfield Town have not conceded a single goal in the last three Yorkshire derbies.
Player to Watch
Pascal Struijk
The 24-year-old has been a rock at the back for Leeds in recent weeks but was at the wrong end of the fortunes last weekend when he put the ball into his own net. Between this and Patrick Bamford’s missed penalty, the Peacocks suffered a stunning defeat to minnows Stoke City.
Struijk will be keen to put that behind him and provide fans with another commanding performance at the back as they chase a second-spot finish in the Championship this season. Huddersfield are unlikely to be much of a threat and the onus will be on Struijk and co. to ensure that remains the case and that they are not caught napping.
Prediction
Leeds United 2-0 Huddersfield Town
Daniel Farke and Co. will go into the game as favourites and will be expected to secure three points and bragging rights in what is a Yorkshire Derby. Given the players at their disposal and the need for an immediate response, anything short of maximum points will only set them back in the race to finish in the top two. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the home side.
