Leeds United return to action in the Championship this evening as they travel away from Elland Road to take on Rotherham United across Yorkshire.
The Whites have the opportunity to cut the gap between themselves and the top two to within five points before Ipswich Town and Leicester City play their matches, which could put some added pressure on them before they play.
Daniel Farke’s side are currently sat in third place and are eight points away from the automatic promotion places as they eye up an instant return to the Premier League.
Leeds have won their last three Championship matches and now come up against a Millers team that have only won two of their 16 league matches and find themselves within the bottom three of the division.
The Whites come into the game against Rotherham off the back of a 2-1 win over Plymouth, thanks to goals from Joel Piroe and Daniel James, prior to the international break.
Farke may have to make some alterations to his starting XI, though, as there are a number of injury situations to contend with heading into tonight’s match.
Latest Leeds injury news
The Whites head coach has revealed that Sam Byram and Pascal Struijk have both returned to training this week, ahead of schedule, and could be involved after further assessment.
Djed Spence, Joe Gelhardt, and Jamie Shackleton are all also back and available for selection after their respective injury issues and could return to the squad.
However, Farke has urged for caution with Spence, who has not featured since the 2nd of September, and this does not suggest that the right-back will be thrown straight into the starting XI.
Leeds do look set for a gigantic blow to their side, though, as Georgino Rutter is said to be a major doubt with an abdominal strain, which has prevented him from training this week.
The former Norwich City tactician backed Patrick Bamford to step up in his absence and FFC have predicted the former England international to lead the line tonight.
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Leeds can close the gap between them and the automatic promotion places to five points with a victory over Rotherham on Friday night.
However, Farke could benefit from being bold and finally unleashing academy starlet Mateo Joseph alongside Piroe in attack ahead of the underperforming senior centre-forward.
Bamford’s season in numbers
The 30-year-old marksman has not made the most of his opportunities off the bench so far this season and came into the 2023/24 campaign off the back of a dismal year in the Premier League.
Bamford scored four goals in 28 top-flight matches as Leeds were relegated back down to the Championship, having been managed by Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce.
However, it was not a case of a lack of services coming his way as the former Middlesbrough number nine missed a staggering 13 ‘big chances’ and ended the season with an xG (Expected Goals) of 8.61 in 18 starts.
This term, the English dud has made eight league appearances as a substitute and did not contribute with a single goal or assist for the side in those matches.
Again, the experienced forward, who has lost 67% of his ground duels so far, has not struggled in front of goal due to a lack of opportunities. Bamford has an xG of 1.16 and has missed a penalty – in the 1-0 loss to Stoke City – in those eight games.
This means that the Chelsea academy graduate has scored four goals in his last 36 league outings for the Whites and underperformed his xG by 5.77 in that period.
These woeful statistics do not suggest that Bamford is a reliable performer whom Farke can trust to lead the line effectively against Rotherham this evening, if Rutter is unable to feature.
The left-footed attacker has not shown many, if any, signs of getting back to his best in front of goal and that is why the manager should, instead, take a gamble on a young player – in Joseph – and throw the 20-year-old ace in at the deep end to see if he can swim.
Farke has already showcased his willingness to lean on academy players, as Archie Gray has played 15 Championship matches at the age of 17, and the England U20 international could be the next one to come through the pipeline.
Mateo Joseph’s goal record for Leeds
Joseph joined Leeds from Spanish side Espanyol in January of last year and has been in impressive form in English football over the last 21 months or so.
The 5 foot 11 talent, who qualifies to play for England through his father, did not have the best start to life in Yorkshire, though, as he managed two goals and one assist in 11 appearances throughout the 2021/22 campaign for the U18s and U21s combined.
That was followed up with a phenomenal season for the U21s in his first full year with the Whites. The Spanish-born whiz racked up 17 goals and two assists in 24 appearances, which included 16 goals in 21 Premier League 2 outings.
His form was rewarded with 23 minutes of Premier League action across three matches at first-team level, which means that the talented youngster already has some experience of senior football.
Joseph, who has been on the bench twice without featuring in the Championship this season, scored one goal and provided one assist in a Premier League International Cup clash with Hertha BSC II. He has also produced two goals and one assist in two Premier League 2 clashes.
This means that the 20-year-old marksman has plundered 20 goals in 27 U21 matches since the start of last season, compared to Bamford’s four goals in 36 league games for Leeds during that period.
The academy starlet’s former boss Michael Skubala once hailed him as a “humble” person who is a “threat” for any defence, and the young ace could be a threat to Rotherham’s backline if Farke decides to unleash him from the start.
Neither Bamford nor Joseph have the creativity to adequately replace Rutter, who has created a staggering 15 ‘big chances’ for his teammates this season, but the U21s star’s goalscoring record suggests that he has the potential to be a better option than the senior centre-forward this evening.
