Leeds United will look to make it ten league wins in a row when they hit the road to square up against Huddersfield Town.
Leeds United have won each of their league games since the start of 2024 and will look to keep that streak going against Huddersfield Town as they push for an immediate return to the English top flight. Meanwhile, the home team will look to ensure they stay out of the drop zone.
Huddersfield are 19th in the EFL Championship, with 37 points out of their 34 games. They have only won eight games so far this season and will have to ensure they win a lot more from here on to ensure they stay in the second tier of English football.
Three of their eight wins have come in their last five games, and they will have hoping to add to their win in the last outing. They came out on top against Watford (2-1) last time out. While it was not their best performance, they did get the job done thanks to Danny Ward. And, will look for a similar result against the second-placed team.
Leeds’s incredible run in 2024 has seen them climb up to the second spot in the table with 72 points in 34 outings, and they are within touching distance of league leaders Leicester City, who have 78 points to their name. But, with Ipswich Town also on 72 points, Leeds will have to continue their winning streak or else they might lose out on the automatic qualification spot.
They have won each of their last nine league games and in their last league outing, they smashed league leaders Leicester 3-1. But, are heading into this one on the back of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Premier League clubs Chelsea in the FA Cup. As a result, they will be eager to bounce back. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Huddersfield Town
Andre Breitenreiter, who recently took charge of Huddersfield Town, managed to get things going with an away win over Watford in his first fixture and will look to stick to the same XI for this fixture. But, Danny Ward could be handed a start having scored twice in their last outing.
Michal Helik, Oliver Turton, Josh Ruffels, Jaheim Headley and Rhys Healey are all out injured while the availability of Sorba Thomas is doubtful.
The home team will stick to the 3-5-2 formation, where Lee Nicholls will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Matty Pearson, Tom Lees, and Yuta Nakayama. The trio will look to keep things tight at the back and will have the support of David Kasumu and Brodie Spencer in doing so as the duo will start as wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Jonathan Hogg will feature alongside Jack Rudoni and Alex Matos. The trio will try to control the tempo of the game and ensure they do not allow the visitors to have the majority of the ball. Up top, Delano Burgzorg will pair up with the hero from their last outing, Danny Ward.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Nicholls; Pearson, Lees, Nakayama; Kasumu, Matos, Hogg, Rudoni, Spencer; Burgzorg, Ward
Leeds United
Daniel Farke rotated his squad for the FA Cup fixture against Chelsea and will now revert to a full-strength XI for the Championship fixture against Huddersfield.
Leeds will be without the services of Ilia Gruev, who has joined Pascal Struijk and Stuart Dallas. While the trio of Georginio Rutter, Patrick Bamford, and Crysencio Summerville did have injury concerns, they are back fit and ready to start this fixture.
The visitors will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Illan Meslier will be in goal. Connor Roberts and Junior Firpo will start as the two full-backs, while Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon will take charge in the heart of the defence.
Glen Kamara and Archie Gray will pair up to form the double pivot in midfield. They will try to control the tempo and ensure they have the majority of the ball. Daniel James and highly sought-after Crysencio Summerville will feature on the flanks.
The duo will look to stretch the opposition defence and create goal-scoring opportunities. Georginio Rutter will be the creator-in-chief for Leeds. Rutter will look to create opportunities for the wide man as well as their star striker Patrick Bamford.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Roberts, Ampadu, Rodon, Firpo; Gray, Kamara; James, Rutter, Summerville; Bamford
Key Stats
- Leeds United have won each of their last nine league games.
- Huddersfield Town have won three out of their last five league games and now two points about safety.
- The visitors haven’t dropped a point in the league since the start of 2024.
- Andre Breitenreiter made a winning start to his time at Huddersfield by defeating Watford 2-1.
- Leeds have won 22 out of their 34 league games this season.
Player to Watch
Crysencio Summerville
Summerville has become the talk of the town because of his impressive display in the ongoing season. The 22-year-old winger has featured in 31 league games and has contributed towards 23 goals. He has found the back of the net on 15 occasions and has eight assists to his name.
His incredible run has played a big part in Leeds United’s dominance in the second tier and if they are to earn direct qualification, the former Feyenoord youth product will once again have to step up and deliver.
Prediction
Huddersfield Town 0-2 Leeds United
Andre Breitenreiter did make a bright start to his time at Huddersfield Town with an away win over Watford. While they are confident about their chances against the second-placed team in the division, the home team might not have enough in their tanks to challenge them.
Meanwhile, Leeds have been on a dream run as they chase direct qualification. They have won each of their last nine league games, and this way trip might not be that big a challenge for them given their recent form. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the away team.