After confidently beating Ipswich Town at Elland Road 4-0, Leeds United would have been relishing the task of playing Preston North End and picking up another win in the Championship.
Unfortunately for Daniel Farke’s promotion hopefuls, the hosts at Deepdale weren’t prepared to just roll over for the free-flowing Whites and proved to be stern opponents – the visitors from West Yorkshire narrowly losing 2-1, Ryan Lowe’s Preston winning in the dying minutes.
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Leeds lightweight who lost nine duels let Farke down badly alongside Meslier
The young defender endured a difficult afternoon at Deepdale on Boxing Day.
With Illan Meslier picking up a red card in this slim defeat, alongside a number of players underperforming on the big occasion, Farke could make as many as three changes for the trip to West Bromwich Albion tomorrow night.
With that in mind, here’s a look at how the Yorkshire side could line up against the Baggies…
1
GK – Karl Darlow
Karl Darlow will be Farke’s goalkeeper of choice for the late kick-off tomorrow away at West Brom, the Leeds reserve goalkeeper having to step up to the mark after Meslier’s petulant red card at Deepdale.
His 35 minutes on the pitch versus Preston was Darlow’s first taste of action in the division this season for the Whites, hoping to have a smoother day in goal versus the Baggies from the start.
2
RB – Djed Spence
Djed Spence wasn’t at his electric best away to Preston, substituted off by his manager just shy of the 70 minute mark after a lacklustre showing.
Farke will hope retaining Spence – but switching him to right-back away from left-back duties – means the former Nottingham Forest man can get back to his best as was showcased in the 4-0 victory over Ipswich Town.
Spence won seven ground duels – as per Sofascore – against the Tractor Boys, a nuisance for Kieran McKenna’s men to contain as a rowdy presence down the flanks.
3
CB – Joe Rodon
The Tottenham Hotspur loanee put in a commendable shift at the back despite the final outcome versus Preston, winning all four of his ground duels in the game.
Starting the last 15 Championship matches in a row for Leeds, Joe Rodon should be a shoo-in for a start against West Brom.
4
CB – Pascal Struijk
Pascal Struijk would have left the pitch at Preston with his head held high, scoring a late penalty kick versus Lowe’s side to level the scores before the Lilywhites sent the Leeds away masses home unhappy with a winner at the death.
Still, the Dutch centre-back would have trudged off at the end of the 90 minutes knowing he gave his all and so he too will be retained by Farke for the trip to the Hawthorns tomorrow night.
5
LB – Junior Firpo
Archie Gray won’t be as lucky as Struijk however, Gray in need of a rest after playing a remarkable amount of football for a 17-year-old this season.
The teenager was frail throughout at right-back, winning just three duels in total from 13 attempted. Moreover, he was dribbled past three times as the home side continually exposed the right-hand side knowing the Leeds number 22 was weak and passive.
Junior Firpo could be selected ahead of Gray for the contest versus West Brom therefore, reshuffling the back four in the process with Spence switched over to a right-back spot where he’s been commonly played elsewhere in his career.
6
CM – Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu won’t face the chop by Farke like Gray, the ex-Chelsea man loving life at Elland Road to date after joining in the summer.
Ampadu even shone in the defeat to Preston, amassing two key passes in the loss from a holding role.
The Leeds number four will hope his efforts against West Brom can help steer the Whites back on course in the Championship with a win at the Hawthorns, bouncing back immediately from this demoralising 2-1 defeat.
7
CM – Glen Kamara
Glen Kamara will start alongside Ampadu in the second holding role in the team, the Finnish midfielder forming an effective duo with the 23-year-old this season.
Kamara did fall victim to Farke making a number of substitutions at Preston but the former Rangers put in a commendable shift regardless when on the pitch, only misplacing two passes in the early kick-off.
8
RM – Daniel James
Dan James will also more than likely be retained in the starting lineup for the game away at Carlos Corberan’s Baggies tomorrow night, the Leeds speedster energetic throughout the game at Preston with his final product just lacking.
James’ blistering pace when darting forward handed Leeds a penalty in this match, whilst the former Manchester United man remained committed to the cause when it came to tracking back with seven ground duels successfully won.
The pacey Welshman will hope he can help in whatever way he can against West Brom to see his side pick up a win, the 26-year-old a crucial part of Farke’s jigsaw in West Yorkshire now.
9
CAM – Wilfried Gnonto
Joel Piroe could be axed for the game in the West Midlands however, the ex-Swansea City forward failing to set the world alight against Preston after scoring versus Ipswich in the game before.
Only amassing 16 touches of the ball before being hauled off in the 55th minute, Farke could hand Gnonto a rare start through the middle in place of the below-par Dutchman.
Gnonto has made a handful of appearances for Leeds in this attacking midfield role during his stay at Elland Road, scoring one goal from three starts when selected in this role.
Described as “absolutely fantastic” by Gary Neville last season on Sky Sports, Gnonto is arguably being underutilised this campaign so far and so Farke could attempt to shoehorn his dangerous attacker into the side at the expense of Piroe.
Whilst at FC Zurich, his former Swiss employers got the most out of the tricky Italian attacker playing him as a second striker – Gnonto scoring eight times in total when slotted in behind a lone striker in Switzerland. Could this potential positional switch work similar wonders for the Whites?
10
LM – Crysencio Summerville
It’s a no-brainer that Crysencio Summerville will start against West Brom, Leeds’ star man still lively even when his team have an off-day as was seen at Preston.
The Leeds number ten was successful with two of his dribble attempts coming up against a regimented Lilywhites defence, hopeful of being even more impactful against West Brom.
11
ST – Georginio Rutter
Georginio Rutter will need to start firing in more goals to become a feared lone striker, but his overall game and application away from finding the back of the net has seen him become more of a creative force playing under Farke – notching up nine assists alongside scoring four goals outright.
Rutter was constantly trying to make things happen at Deepdale but to no avail, having two efforts on goal blocked. Can Rutter fire in a goal past Alex Palmer tomorrow night on the way to a Leeds victory?
Leeds United predicted lineup vs West Brom in full: GK – Darlow; RB – Spence, CB – Rodon, CB – Struijk, LB – Firpo; CM – Ampadu, CM – Kamara; RM – James, CAM – Gnonto, LM – Summerville; ST – Rutter
