Lees United will be keen to end their two-game losing streak in the Championship when they face Birmingham City on Saturday.
Leeds United will welcome Birmingham City to Elland Road as they bid to end a two-game losing streak in the EFL Championship. Consecutive losses to Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion have left the Whites nine points behind Ipswich Town in the race for a top-two spot.
Leeds United have not only failed to take advantage of Ipswich’s two draws but have also seen Southampton leapfrog them and open up a six-point lead ahead in the third spot. Unless Daniel Farke can get his side’s act together, the Elland Road outfit might have to settle for a playoff spot in their pursuit of securing promotion to the Premier League.
On the other hand, Birmingham City have no false ambitions of returning to the top flight. The Blues are likely to be embroiled in a relegation dogfight and will be keen to put as much distance as they can from the bottom three spots.
Given that Leeds are currently in a poor run of form, Wayne Rooney will be keen to drive the knife into Daniel Farke and co. As a Manchester United icon, he will have no love lost for Leeds. The Englishman has, however, struggled to make an impression at St. Andrews and could once again be out of his depth in the second tier.
Leeds endured a poor 2023 that saw them getting relegated from the Premier League. And they are yet to make the most of their superior squad in the Championship. They will hope that 2024 is better and will want to start off with a win.
As for Birmingham, they will take what they an from the game, points after all have been difficult to come by following Rooney’s arrival. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
It has been a poor December for Leeds United, who find themselves closer to the fourth spot than the second. Successive losses and the lack of bite has seen them struggle, falling away in the battle for an automatic promotion spot. However, there is still much to play for and Daniel Farke will need to rally his troops at home.
One player who will be unavailable is Patrick Struijk, who has injured his adductor. Illan Meslier will serve his suspension following the Boxing Day sending-off, while Stuart Dallas continues to recover from his hip injury. Jamie Shackleton and Luke Ayling are also nursing knocks and might not be risked on the night.
Farke is likely to retain the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Karl Darlow retaining his spot in goal. Archie Gray should continue at right-back. Joe Rodon and Liam Cooper are expected to occupy the central roles in the backline, while Djed Spence should get the nod over Sam Byram at left-back.
Ethan Ampadu and Glen Kamara should also retain their spots as the double pivot, holding the fort for Daniel James, Joel Piroe and Crysencio Summerville to get the ball forward. Georginio Rutter should keep his place ahead of Patrick Bamford and will hope to rediscover his scoring shoes against a poor Birmingham backline.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Gray, Rodon, Cooper, Spence; Kamara, Ampadu, James, Piroe, Summerville; Rutter
Birmingham City
As a former NFL quarterback, Tom Brady is not a stranger to getting the ‘sack’. He could very well pull the trigger on Wayne Rooney should the Birmingham City boss fail to secure his bearings.
Appointing the Manchester United icon has proven to be a disaster as Birmingham have plummeted down the table under his tutelage. Brady was in attendance as Birmingham beat Leeds United 1-0 on the opening day of the season; both clubs have taken different trajectories since.
Rooney is close to matching Gianfranco Zola’s poor win rate of 8.3 per cent, the poorest in club history. Despite Rooney having won 15.4 per cent of his games in charge, he has a far worse losing rate than Zola. Surely something has got to give.
A visit to Elland Road to face a Leeds outfit keen to make a point does not make the task any easier. More so, they will have to do so without Marc Roberts, who is unavailable. The Blues will also be without George Hall, Alfie Chang, Ethan Laird, Kevin Long and the suspended Krystian Bielik. Lee Buchanan is also a doubt and might not feature on the night.
Rooney is likely to deploy his side in a 4-2-3-1 system, with veteran goalkeeper John Ruddy acting as the last line of defence. Cody Drameh, Emanuel Aiwu, Dion Sanderson and Emmanuel Longelo kept a clean sheet against Bristol City last time around and should retain their spots in the playing XI.
Jordan James and Ivan Sunjic should form the double pivot, with the trio of Juninho Bacuna, Koji Miyoshi and Siriki Dembele providing the attacking spark. Jay Stansfield should start up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ruddy; Drameh, Aiwu, Sanderson, Longelo; Sunjic, James; Bacuna, Miyoshi, Dembele; Stansfield
Key Stats
- A win on Monday will see Leeds United defeat Birmingham City in consecutive home games in the league for the first time since 2003.
- A win on Monday will see Birmingham City do the double over Leeds United for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign.
- Leeds United have failed to win their last four clashes on New Year’s Day. The last time that the Whites came out on top in such a game was in 2013.
- Birmingham City have failed to win their last 13 league games on New Year’s Day, with the most recent victory coming in 1991.
- Leeds United have welcomed Birmingham City to Elland Road on two previous New Year’s Day clashes, winning both of them.
Player to Watch
Joel Piroe
Piroe has enjoyed a very promising debut campaign at Elland Road and should don the number 10 role against Birmingham. The 24-year-old has 11 goals and one assist in 26 games across all competitions this season, making him Leeds’s brightest spark from the midfield.
Having drawn a blank in their last two games, the Whites will want to get their fearsome frontline ticking again. As long as Piroe steps up and makes the most of his opportunities, the home side should come away with a comfortable win, getting their season back on track.
Prediction
Leeds United 2-0 Birmingham City
While Leeds have struggled of late, Birmingham’s form has been abject. Rooney appears to be way out of his depth and could very well be at the end of his final schooling as a Blues boss. Daniel Farke and co. will be wary of plummeting further down the table and will want to usher in the new year with a win at home. It is difficult to see anything less than a comfortable win for Leeds United on the night.
