After taking four points from Chelsea and Liverpool, Leeds United will be full of confidence as they head down to London to take on fellow relegation battlers Brentford. Daniel Farke’s tactical changes have brought fresh hope to Elland Road, and the club now find themselves in 16th place with 15 points from their first 15 games. Here is our Leeds United predicted lineup.
Leeds United Predicted Lineup vs Brentford
How Leeds Have Lined Up Recently
Summer signing Lucas Perri remains the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and has started to look more calm and composed following a shaky start to the season. The Brazilian has also played a key role in starting United attacks with his accurate long kicks up to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, launching each kick an average of 43.5m so far this campaign.
In front of him, Farke has settled on a gigantic back three of Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk, who all pose significant threats from set-piece situations and can make life difficult for any opposing forward.
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Completing the defence, Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson continue to excel at wing-back and form a key part of Leeds’ attacking threat. Swedish international Gudmundsson has registered more progressive carries than any other United player with 39, and has quickly become a fan favourite at Elland Road.
Against Liverpool, Farke opted to start Ilia Gruev in midfield alongside Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach, leaving Ao Tanaka on the bench. Although excellent at breaking up play, Gruev’s lack of creativity saw him replaced by the Japanese international after 65 minutes, and Tanaka went on to further cement his cult hero status at the club by lashing in a late equaliser.
With Lukas Nmecha unavailable, Noah Okafor started up front alongside Calvert-Lewin, who scored his third goal in three games from the penalty spot. When asked if the England forward could be considered for next year’s World Cup, Farke said: “You all know how much I trust him and how much I value him. He has done it before, 11 caps for England, and his goal record is good.”
Leeds Recent Form and Tactics
The tactical switch from a 4-3-3 setup to a 3-5-2 has been a resounding success for Leeds, who have now put in three consecutive impressive performances against Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. However, an away trip to Brentford may offer the toughest test so far of the long-term efficacy of Farke’s new formation.
Keith Andrews’ side have lost just one of their seven home games this season, winning five, and utilise the same brand of direct, counter-attacking football that United have had such success with in recent weeks. Furthermore, Leeds have been extremely poor away from Elland Road so far this season, losing six out of seven games on the road.
If Farke’s men can take at least a point from their trip to the Gtech Stadium, it would be the ultimate vindication for the 3-5-2 system, which already looks to have boosted their chances of staying up this season.
Leeds Absences to Consider
Both Daniel James and Sean Longstaff remain on the long-term injury list, and it may be a few more weeks before either returns to the fold.
There is also a negative update regarding striker Lukas Nmecha, who Farke said ‘is definitely out for this game’ with a thigh problem.
Leeds United Predicted Lineup
GK: Lucas Perri
CB: Joe Rodon
CB: Jaka Bijol
CB: Pascal Struijk
RWB: Jayden Bogle
LWB: Gabriel Gudmundsson
CM: Ethan Ampadu
CM: Ao Tanaka
CM: Anton Stach
ST: Noah Okafor
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Pro Sports
