Leeds United welcome Liverpool to what promises to be an intense Elland Road on Saturday night as the Whites look for back-to-back scalps.
United’s chances of survival got a real kick up the backside this week with Daniel Farke looking like he’s found a real turning point at Elland Road.
Having been thumped in the first half at Manchester City, a switch to a 3-5-2 ever since has seen Leeds rejuvenated. On Wednesday, Leeds bullied Chelsea with a resounding 3-1 win to move out of the bottom three.
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Leeds United v Liverpool: Team news confirmed as Daniel Farke suggests fitness headaches
Aside from the existing injury troubles Farke was contending with already in December, wehave no fresh issues for him to deal with.
Dan James and Sean Longstaff remain ruled out. But, Sebastiaan Bornauw returned to the fold for his Premier League debut deep into added time against the Blues to add further cover to the back three.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds United lineup to face Liverpool may bring changes. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
As for team selection, Farke noted that his decisions might be dictated by the load each player is dealing with after an intense victory.
“No fresh injury concerns, definitely [Dan] James and [Sean] Longstaff out, we need to take late decisions, Lukas Nmecha’s hamstring problems after the last games, Calvert-Lewin calf problems, players with lots of load over the last games, the wing back and the midfield,” Farke said, per the YEP.
Here, I look at the lineup I predict Daniel Farke will name to face Liverpool tomorrow…
Goalkeeper: Lucas Perri
I mentioned this prior to Nottingham Forest, but I’ll say it again: it’s amazing that we’ve found seemingly the one Brazilian not great with the ball at his feet.
Lucas Perri is set to keep his place for Leeds United v Liverpool. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
Lucas Perri’s distribution didn’t prove hugely problematic to our performance against Chelsea, because his role was simplified to launching into the path of our two strikers. That should be the only plan for him.
Aside from that, he had a reasonable game on Wednesday. He claimed crosses fairly well, and commanded his box with greater authority.
Against Liverpool, set pieces and crosses are going to continue being an area he needs to deal with. Perri does need to be on his toes for a Dominik Szoboszlai thunderbolt, though.
Defence: Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk, Gabriel Gudmundsson
I don’t think I’ve seen a more aggressive defensive performance since Farke’s appointment than what we saw on Wednesday.
The back five setup allowed us to press higher without leaving gaps, and ensured that there were very few gaps for those problematic channel balls and cut-backs.
Jaka Bijol announced himself incredibly well to the Leeds United fans against Chelsea. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
For me, Jaka Bijol was instrumental to it. A complete bully in the middle of that five and exactly what we all thought he’d bring to the table when he joined. What helped Bijol settle into the system were his two fellow imperious partners Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk.
Struijk, in particular, was immense in possession, stepping out to squeeze Chelsea out of possession, and then progressing the ball very well through the lines. Rodon, meanwhile, is just an ever-presence for Leeds as his starting run surpasses Mateusz Klich’s superhuman efforts.
At wing-back, Leeds were brilliant and will need to have a similar game again. There’s scope to think James Justin could come in for either Jayden Bogle or Gabriel Gudmundsson, who both had a barn-storming evening. Farke taking both off in the closing stages suggested he was wary of the minutes they’ll be asked to play in December.
I’ve never believed that Leeds conceding multiple goals down the wings was ever a personnel issue. Our win against Chelsea saw Bogle and Gudmundsson platformed well. Lo and behold, they didn’t look exposed at all.
Midfield: Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach
Like the back five, there’s no way I can possibly justify switching out any of Leeds’ three-man midfield. It’s no coincidence that Leeds’ best two midfield displays have come when these three have started together – Everton and Chelsea at home.
That means I’ve gone for Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach playing either side of Ethan Ampadu. They had everything this week, aggression, robust physicality, excellent positioning, and the intelligence of when to play the neater stuff and when to go direct.
Ethan Ampadu won Player of the Match as Leeds United beat Chelsea. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
Out of the three, I was most impressed with Stach. The German has come in for stick over some inconsistent performances, but his best performances are by far and away the highest calibre of any Leeds player. By getting the most out of Stach, we’re a long way to winning the midfield battle.
If Farke is worried about the energy levels of these three, I don’t think Ilia Gruev would look too out of place. He’s put in two solid performances against City and Chelsea.
Striker: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor
My one change comes up front. I don’t think there’s any chance that we see Farke retain both Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for this game.
As a result, I think Nmecha is the one to drop out. He left everything out there against Chelsea, showing plenty of technical quality to go with his direct physical presence. But, he looked to have tweaked his hamstring in the first half. And then, he looked flogged after half-time before he was replaced by Noah Okafor.
I expect Leeds United’s Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to start against Liverpool. (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)
Okafor had a point to prove at Elland Road after being named a sub for the second game running. But, he did just that as his pressing forced DCL’s goal. That side of his game is still a weakness of the Swiss forward, for me. He’s not as switched-on without the ball as DCL and Nmecha, but his qualities on the ball outweigh it for me.
Taking more care of the ball is an area for improvement, but you can’t stifle a risk-taker like Okafor. He’s the one player in our setup that can create a goal out of thin air.
As for Calvert-Lewin, you’d fancy him to ruffle a few feathers against the red half of Merseyside, having spent nine years at Everton.
Full Leeds United predicted XI to face Liverpool
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