Leeds United are aiming to continue their revival under Daniel Farke as they take on a Crystal Palace side displaying shaky form at the moment.
Daniel Farke will want another stellar performance from his players as Leeds United take on Crystal Palace by returning to home comforts, where they have had two big results of late. Following a run of four straight defeats that made them firm contenders for relegation, the Elland Road outfit are now unbeaten in three.
A big over Chelsea at Elland Road, followed by a battling draw with Liverpool had taken Leeds United out of their relegation zone. Last weekend, they had another fighting display against Brentford away from home, owing to an in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who scored in his fourth straight game.
They are set for another big test on home soil, and Farke will want them to steer clear of the bottom three. Currently, Leeds United hold a three-point advantage over West Ham United with 16 points on board, and this season promises a thrilling finish at the end of it.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace continued to display dodgy form across all competitions, as they endured a difficult European game in midweek. The Eagles could not win against Finnish side Kups at Selhurst Park, as they potentially squandered a place in the top eight, and they must now feature in a two-legged playoff to reach the round of 16 stage of the Conference League.
Last weekend, Palace ended a run of three wins across all competitions to lose against Manchester City. Oliver Glasner will have been mildly satisfied with his team’s performance, as they did trouble Pep Guardiola’s side, although the 3-0 scoreline in favour of the title challengers does not do justice to the performance from the South London outfit.
Despite the wobble last weekend, Crystal Palace still find themselves sitting in fifth spot heading into another gameweek in the Premier League. So far, they are primed to finish in European spots and are only two points away from fourth-placed Chelsea, meaning a win will potentially give them a chance to climb into a top-four place.
Team News & Tactics
Leeds United
Daniel Farke is not expected to make many changes, and he may keep an identical lineup from the Brentford draw from last weekend. Lukas Nmecha was probably the closest of his injured players to make a return, but the manager has ruled him out of this one.
The same goes for Sean Longstaff and Daniel James, with the duo likely to miss out until early January at the very least. Farke might continue to deploy a back three such as the last game, with Jaka Bijol, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk preferred there. Ethan Ampadu will hold the base of the midfield, with Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka on either side.
Jack Harrison and Gabriel Gudmundsson will keep their places in the wide roles. Noah Okafor is likely to partner up with the in-form Calvert-Lewin up front, with the latter in with a chance to become just the fourth player in Leeds United’s history to score in five Premier League games in a row. That form has earned him a spot in our FPL Budget Buy recommendations for Gameweek 17.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Perri; Bijol, Rodon, Struijk; Harrison, Stach, Ampadu, Tanaka, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Okafor
Crystal Palace
Glasner will hope some of his players are not fatigued amid the packed festive schedule, and the lack of quality squad depth could come to hurt the team’s chances ahead. The Crystal Palace boss did rotate his entire starting eleven for the midweek UEFA Europa Conference League game, meaning he could name a strong setup at the weekend.
On the injury front, Chadi Riad, Rio Cardines, Cheick Doucoure, Daichi Kamada, and Daniel Munoz are missing out. The latter two are important for their displays this season, as Munoz recovers from a knee procedure, while the Japanese international has a hamstring issue to deal with. The big miss will be Ismaila Sarr, with the attacker joining his Senegal teammates for AFCON.
Hence, Eddie Nketiah should have a place in the lineup alongside Yeremy Pino behind striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. In midfield, Will Hughes is the likely candidate to replace Kamada. Adam Wharton will start alongside him, while Nathaniel Clyne should be picked on the right wing. The regular backline should make a return, including goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Nketiah, Pino; Mateta
Key Stats
- Leeds United are unbeaten in their last three Premier League games.
- Leeds United are three points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham United.
- Crystal Palace have won their last three games away from home across all competitions.
- Crystal Palace are two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League standings.
Player to Watch
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
After a poor start to the season, Calvert-Lewin is making an icon out of himself in Leeds United colours. Some crucial goals over the last four games have seen him gain a different stature, which has solved Daniel Farke’s striker problem.
Should Calvert-Lewin score in a fifth consecutive Premier League game, he will become just the fourth Leeds United player to do so in the top flight. More importantly, the Englishman’s manager would want to do it to keep the current three-game unbeaten run going for another weekend.
Prediction
Leeds United 2-2 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace are missing some of their key players ahead of this trip to Yorkshire, as they might struggle in certain departments. There are some form issues with Oliver Glasner’s men at the moment, but they might rely on their recent record away from home across all competitions.
Given the form of Leeds United, especially at Elland Road, where they defeated Chelsea and fought back to a draw against Liverpool, they are likely to enter this game full of confidence. However, given the quality of both teams, the likelihood of a draw is clear, and both teams could share the spoils.
