After pretty much destroying Preston North End in their last game, an in-form Leeds United side will take on Aston Villa in what will be a tough game for the Whites despite their opponent’s position in the league table. Villa will be out for revenge after losing to Garry Monk’s side in the beginning of December.
Leeds are in pretty good form at the moment and with some key players returning, even the top two spots aren’t out of reach if they can main the same level of consistency in the busy period of January. They have scored seven goals in the last three games and are in good shape to take on Villa who themselves have bounced back and have picked up two wins on the trot following the defeat at the hands of Norwich City.
Villa are yet to lose at home in the Championship, so it won’t be a straight-forward game by at all. Here’s how Monk could set up his team on the night.
Predicted Leeds United Line-up
It’s unlikely that we’ll see changes at the back. Leeds have performed well as a defensive unit and the consistency of the players has been good to see. Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson have forged a solid partnership at the heart of the defence and they are likely to continue there against Villa.
Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling should start as the two full-backs and offer a threat while going forward. Mind you, they have been solid defensively too. Behind the back for is the assuring presence of Rob Green who has displaced Marco Silvestri from goal under Monk.
Liam Bridcutt had a good game last time and he is expected to start alongside Kalvin Phillips in the double pivot in front of the defence. Up ahead, Kemar Roofe will be expected to play as the number 10. He was a menace against Preston and got on the scoresheet to take his goals tally to three for the season. If he can add more goals from his position, he can lighten the load on Wood and Doukara’s shoulders.
Stuart Dallas and Hadi Sacko are expected to start in the wide areas again. Villa have good full-backs, so the wingers will need to be at their best to get the better of their opposition players. They won’t be short on confidence for sure. Pablo Hernandez came off the bench and scored a goal last time, so he might get a taste of the action of Monk wants to alter it and add more creativity later in the game.
Chris Wood once again had a cameo appearance and is getting closer to a start. Will he start against Villa? Unlikely considering he is still rusty. We could see Doukara leading the line again.
