Leeds United might have hit a snag after their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town in their last league outing in the Sky Bet Championship 2016-17 but there is no need to switch on the alarm button at the moment.
The Peacocks are placed fifth in the table, five points clear of Sheffield Wednesday, with the latter having played a game lesser. Garry Monk possesses a side good enough to stay in the play-off zone and they can very well cement their stature as they invite Cardiff City to the Elland Road this weekend.
Nonetheless, Leeds United cannot afford to have too many slip ups in the coming months and home advantage, when they face the Bluebirds, is definitely going to be a crucial factor to turn the tide in their favour and rejuvenate them once again as they aim to earn the ticket back to the Premier League. Monk will be plotting his trusted men on the pitch for this massive tie on Saturday and keeping the various expected factors in mind, here’s the Whites’ predicted line-up to face Cardiff City.
Defence
Old but not obsolete, Robert Green should be handed the command between the sticks. The 37-year-old has been very assuring with the gloves so far this term, having already garnered as 11 clean sheets from 30 league appearances for his side and is all set to guard the goal.
Ahead of Green, a pack of four defenders ought to be engineered. Luke Ayling on the right back slot and Gaetano Berardi on the left, the resilient duo of Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson are expected to start at the central defensive region to shield their veteran goalkeeper.
Midfield
Newcomers Modou Barrow and Alfonso Pedraza should be handed a place in the starting berths on the left and right wing, respectively, with Ronaldo Vieira and Eunan O’Kane likely to be experimented with in the central midfield region. Kemar Roofe could start through the central attacking midfield slot as their no. 10 at the Elland Road.
Attack
This is the frontier, filling which should not be an issue for the former Swansea City manager. Chris Wood has scored 18 goals from 29 appearances along with an assist to his name and was on the scoreboard when Leeds collapsed against Huddersfield Town and thus, their prolific hitman shouldn’t be started from the bench in any sense whatsoever.
Green
Ayling-Jansson-Bartley-Berardi
Vieira-O’Kane
Barrow-Roofe-Alfonso
Wood
