We’re all set for Christmas but perhaps more so for the Boxing Day Championship fixtures! In-form Leeds United will travel to Deepdale to taken on Preston North End and will hope to continue their brilliant form of late. After suffering a defeat at the hands of Brighton in early December, Leeds have picked up two wins and have managed two shutouts as well.
If results go their way, Leeds could move up to second, so there’s a lot riding on the game. Preston, on the other hand, have playoff hopes of their own and won’t want to be cast adrift of the top six places, so they’ll go hammer and tongs for the win too.
Leeds have a pretty good record against Preston and have won three out of the last five against the Lilywhites. They’ll be pretty confident of an away win and here’s how Monk could set up his team.
Predicted Leeds United line-up
Leeds have been pretty solid defensively and the duo of Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley have forged a brilliant partnership at the heat of the defence. Questions were raised if the two can be a long-term option at the back once the season began but they have silenced the critics for the time being.
The two full-backs are likely to be Charlie Taylor and Luke Ayling. The former is a slight doubt after picking up an injury in the last game and if he misses out, Gaetano Berardi is likely to start at left-back. Rob Green will start in goal.
In the midfield, Ronaldo Vieira and Liam Bridcutt could start in the pivot. Bridcutt played a few minutes in the last game and could start ahead of Kalvin Phillips. Kemar Roofe has two goals and two assists to his name and he could start in the number 10 role once again. On the wide areas, Haidi Sacko and Stuart Dallas will provide the pace and stretch the play.
The pace the attackers offer will be a key weapon when Leeds play on the break and with solid players like Vieira and Bridcutt, the counter-attacking setup is ideal for them to thrive in.
Chris Wood missed the last game against Brentford and is pushing for a start. With a player like Roofe behind him, Wood won’t have to struggle to find the small pockets of space. The Kiwi has 11 goals in 21 games so far and his strike-rate of a goal every two games is pretty impressive. He’s had a say in 42.30% of all the goals Leeds have scored this season in the League and will be the beacon in the Whites’ attack.
