Leeds United were dumped out of the FA Cup last weekend by League Two outfit, Newport County, as the latter clinched a 2-1 win over Thomas Christiansen’s side. Their exit from the aforesaid competition means that the pressure is certainly on them to better their credentials in the Championship.
On Saturday, they are due to make a trip to the Portman Road Stadium in order to face Ipswich Town in their next Championship fixture and here is how we expect the Whites to line-up against Mick McCarthy’s side.
Defence
The pair comprising of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson is anticipated to be stationed at the heart of the defence of the Yorkshire-based club. These two are more than capable of injecting resilience to the backline.
Luke Ayling is out for the rest of the season, following an ankle surgery. At the left-back position, newcomer Laurens De Bock, who has been signed from Club Brugge earlier this month, is expected to be shown the green light by Christiansen whereas, from the other side, we are likely to see the industry of Gaetano Berardi.
Felix Wiedwald should find himself between the sticks once again after Andy Lonergan was given the nod to start with the gloves in the FA Cup fixture. Wiedwald has been quite regular in the league outings of late and he is likely to start once again.
Midfield
Although Mateusz Klich was used in the FA Cup fixture, Eunan O’Kane is expected to be handed a start in the league fixture this weekend against the Blues. To partner him, we expect Christiansen to pencil Kalvin Phillips, for he has been a regular face for the Peacocks this season and has fared pretty well so far.
Samu Saiz is out for as many as 6 games for spitting on Newport County’s Robbie Willmott during the FA Cup third round, which implies that someone like Pablo Hernandez would be a wise choice to fill the central attacking midfield position.
Attack
Stuart Dallas and Caleb Ekuban remain sidelined, and thus, Pierre-Michel Lasogga might start up front to spearhead Leeds United’s attacking endeavours. The German has not been very productive in the recent games and he would definitely be pining to make his presence felt against the Tractor Boys.
To aid Lasogga, we expect Ezgjan Alioski to operate from the left-wing position to bring some purposefulness in the attack whereas, from the right-wing slot, Kemar Roofe should be a decent option.
