Leeds United’s promotion push is gathering momentum following an impressive six victories from their last seven Championship matches.
The Whites are approaching an important part of the season that could see them mount a serious challenge on the automatic promotion places.
On Friday night, Daniel Farke’s side are essentially batting first and have the opportunity to close the gap to five points when they take on Rotherham United before Leicester City and Ipswich Town are in action on Saturday.
With a few of their key players returning from international duty, including Welsh trio Joe Rodon, Daniel James and Ethan Ampadu, there could be some fatigued legs that take to the field in South Yorkshire.
Nonetheless, Farke will be keen to avoid changing a winning formula and there could well be just two alterations to the side that beat Plymouth 2-1 prior to the international break.
Here’s how Leeds could line up for this mouth-watering Yorkshire derby…
1
GK – Illan Meslier
Illan Meslier will continue in between the sticks against Rotherham. The young shot-stopper, who has kept the second most clean sheets (6) in the Championship this term, has also impressed with the ball at his feet, recording a 96% pass completion in his own half.
2
RB – Archie Gray
The 17-year-old wonderkid, who is the subject of interest from a whole host of European clubs, will carry operating in his right-back role against the Millers. The teenager has featured in all but one match in the second tier this season and his impressive form has kept veteran Luke Ayling out of the team.
3
CB – Joe Rodon
The key to any promotion-winning squad is acquiring a quality defender on loan from a Premier League side, as Burnley did with Taylor Harwood-Bellis last term, and Joe Rodon has certainly shown his credentials as an exceptional centre-back. The Welshman has impressed from a defensive capacity and with the ball at his feet; yet to be dribbled past and has completed 90% of his passes.
4
CB – Liam Cooper
Cooper suffered a terrible injury at the start of the season but in the absence of star centre-back, Pascal Strujik, the Scotsman has returned to the heart of the Leeds defence. A commanding and experienced presence, the 32-year-old has won 63% of his ground duels across eight second-tier matches this season.
5
LB – Junior Firpo
Once dubbed as “immense” by Connor McGilligan on the One Leeds Fan Channel, Firpo could replace the recovering Sam Byram and make his first start of the season. While the Spaniard’s career at Elland Road has been a mixed bag, he did end last term in impressive form, ranking in the top 9% for tackles against his positional peers in the Premier League and the top 8% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.
6
CM – Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu has been incredible since arriving from Chelsea in the summer and is, therefore, one of the first names on the team sheet. Through his ferocious tackling and near faultless playmaking displays, he’s made himself undroppable, averaging a mammoth eight balls recovered per game and 2.2 tackles across 16 Championship starts.
7
CM – Glen Kamara
A classy midfielder, who was captured from Rangers in the summer, Glen Kamara is strong in the tackle, excellent at recycling possession and superb at splitting lines with his exquisite passing range. The 28-year-old compliments the tough-tackling displays of Ampadu well with his tidiness on the ball, having averaged a 92% pass completion this term.
8
RW – Daniel James
The fleet-footed Welsh winger is often criticised for his lack of end product, but since dropping down to the Championship, Dan James’ quality in the final third has shone through. He’s supplied the second most goal contributions in the Leeds squad – four goals and four assists – and kept the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Jaidon Anthony out of the team.
9
CAM – Joel Piroe
With Georginio Rutter coming of age in the striker position, Joel Piroe has been utilised as an attacking midfielder under Farke, dropping deeper to receive possession and spraying delicate passes through the thirds. Despite ushering more creative responsibility, the Dutch dynamo is still their joint-top scorer with six goals in 13 appearances.
10
LW – Crysencio Summerville
If anyone is going to carve open Rotherham, who are expected to operate in a low block, it’s the sensational Crysencio Summerville. The explosive wide-forward has wreaked havoc on Championship defences down the left flank, scoring six and assisting five in 14 appearances. If the Millers afford him any space, they could be in big trouble.
11
ST – Patrick Bamford
Rutter, who has scored three and assisted five this term and dubbed as “top class” by Farke, is a major doubt ahead of the clash against Rotherham. This means Patrick Bamford could get the nod ahead of the £70k per-week star.
The Englishman’s form has endured a dismal run of late having failed to score in his last 11 appearances, however, a goal in this Yorkshire derby would be a perfect answer to his critics.
Predicted Leeds XI in full vs Rotherham: GK – Meslier; RB – Gray, CB – Rodon, CB – Cooper, LB – Firpo; CM – Ampadu, CM – Kamara; RW – James, CAM – Piroe, LW – Summerville; ST – Bamford.
