A tricky away trip to Newcastle awaits the in-form Leeds United, who made it seven games unbeaten with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United last time out. A well-earned point increased Leeds’ gap over the relegation places to a fairly comfortable eight points, and they will hope to continue their excellent form against the Magpies. Here is our Leeds United predicted lineup.
Leeds United Predicted Lineup for Tricky Away Clash vs Newcastle United
How Leeds Have Lined Up Recently
More questions are beginning to be asked around the form of first-choice goalkeeper Lucas Perri, who failed to close down Matheus Cunha for Manchester United’s equalising goal at the weekend, allowing the forward to easily place his shot into the Leeds net. The former Lyon stopper has had a number of shaky moments since signing for the Whites in the summer, and does not overly exude calmness and composure between the sticks.
In front of him, Daniel Farke continues to operate with a back three system, with Sebastiaan Bornauw playing alongside Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk in the absence of stalwart Joe Rodon.
At right wing-back, Jayden Bogle was a surprise late omission against the Red Devils due to a calf injury, meaning James Justin was given back-to-back starts for the first time in a Leeds shirt. On the left side, Gabriel Gudmundsson completed 90 minutes for the third time in the space of a week, meaning that he has now played more minutes than any other United player this season, with 1,650.
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In midfield, Ilia Gruev stepped in for the suspended Ethan Ampadu, with Anton Stach and Brenden Aaronson completing the trio. The latter enjoyed another exceptional game, opening the scoring with a clinical finish after hunting down a loose backpass and creating constant problems for Ruben Amorim, who has since been relieved of his post.
Up front, Dominic Calvert-Lewin came back into the side after being rested against Liverpool and was partnered by Noah Okafor, who was a bright spark throughout the game.
Leeds Recent Form and Tactics
With 20 games played and only 18 more to go, Leeds now find themselves in 16th place with a healthy eight-point lead over 18th-placed West Ham. In fact, there are now as many points between the Whites and seventh-placed Sunderland as there are between them and the relegation zone, highlighting just how impressive they have been over the last month or so.
Since the Premier League moved to 20 teams in 1995, no side has ever been relegated after having an eight-point gap with 20 games played, meaning Leeds fans can already start dreaming of a second consecutive campaign in England’s top flight. The confidence that Farke’s side are now playing with was epitomised by the manager’s disappointment with only securing a draw against the Red Devils, even with key men Rodon, Bogle, and Ampadu available.
Leeds Absences to Consider
Farke said that Sean Longstaff, who was named on the bench against Man Utd, could be in line for “a few minutes” of action against his boyhood club.
Elsewhere, Bogle and Rodon are both likely to miss the trip to St James’ Park, but may be back in contention for the FA Cup tie with Derby County next time out.
Leeds Predicted Lineup
GK: Lucas Perri
CB: Sebastiaan Bornauw
CB: Jaka Bijol
CB: Joe Rodon
RWB: James Justin
LWB: Gabriel Gudmundsson
CM: Ethan Ampadu
CM: Anton Stach
CM: Brenden Aaronson
ST: Noah Okafor
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Featured Image Credit: IMAGO / News Images
