Leeds United take on West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Friday and Daniel Farke could spring a few surprises ahead of their trip to the Midlands to face Carlos Corberan’s men.
West Brom vs Leeds team news
On Boxing Day, the Whites were on the end of a 2-1 defeat to Preston North End at Deepdale in a fiery Championship clash that was decided by a late Liam Miller wondergoal, which cancelled out an equaliser from the spot by Pascal Struijk.
Republic of Ireland international Alan Browne opened the scoring; however, the main talking point of proceedings was undoubtedly Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier’s red card for retaliation, after he appeared to shove Milutin Osmajic in the face, leading to Karl Darlow taking his place between the sticks for the remainder of the clash.
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Speaking in his post-match press conference, Leeds United boss Farke criticised Osmajic for his theatrics on the field, leading to his side being reduced to ten men and suffering a loss on the road, stating via BBC Sport: “It’s disappointing because the second player really has nothing to do with it. He’s come in and tried to provoke Illan then he goes and rolls around 10 times. Maybe the referee should sense what was really happening there. Maybe a yellow card would have been a fairer outcome.”
Nevertheless, the Yorkshire giants will have little time to lick their wounds as they go to battle once again away to West Brom on Friday evening in another must-win clash if they are serious about realising their aspirations of promotion. Now, some intriguing news has become available regarding Farke’s potential team selection heading into the fixture, as provided by various reports.
Darlow starts but Dallas not ready as Farke set to ring the changes…
Previewing the clash, The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has confirmed that Farke could make some surprise changes to his side at the Hawthorns, though one obvious alteration will present former Newcastle United goalkeeper Darlow with a rare start in light of Meslier’s suspension.
Despite joining the Whites in the summer, the £30k-a-week ace has appeared just three times in all competitions and could now be offered an opportunity to begin on the field in the Championship for the first time since April, when he was on loan at Hull City.
Meanwhile, Stuart Dallas is still expected to be out for a period of time as he struggles to overcome a fractured femur, as injury specialist Dr Rajpal Brar explained to MOT Leeds News.
Brar stated: “If he’s returning to matches in January, then his training will be a gradual progression from individual to partial to full group training which is unlikely to happen this week. The extended absence and very serious nature of the injury make it even more paramount that his training progression is methodical. Having setbacks in his rehabilitation certainly has not helped.”
While unclear exactly what Farke could change at the Hawthorns, Leeds need to win to keep pace with their rivals in the race for automatic promotion, so it will be intriguing to see just how bold the gaffer is after a disappointing performance and result.
