Leeds United ended their winless streak of four games after they secured a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Elland Road on Friday in the Championship. The Whites are due to make a trip to the Craven Cottage on Tuesday to face Fulham in their next league fixture and at the onset, it promises to be a crunch game.
Leeds United Team News
Liam Cooper is sidelined with a thigh injury and Adam Forshaw will not be available due to his calf problem. Kemar Roofe is yet to return to the training and is unexpected to feature against Fulham. Meanwhile, Luke Ayling, Tyler Roberts, Laurens De Bock and Conor Shaughnessy are the long-term absentees.
Here is how we expect Paul Heckingbottom to roll out his starting line-up against Slavisa Jokanovic’s side.
Goalkeeper
Despite the availability of Andy Lonergan, Heckingbottom is seemingly likely to hand Bailey Peacock-Farrell yet another start under the bar. Peacock-Farrell has been impressive during the opportunities he received and his inclusion in the starting line-up should not be a surprising move.
Defence
In the absence of Cooper, Matthew Pennington is expected to be stationed at the heart of the defence of the Yorkshire based outfit alongside Pontus Jansson. Jansson has a key role to play in the fixture as he needs to marshal the back line and back orders at his defensive teammates to showcase their resilience.
Gaetano Berardi has been one of the consistent players for Leeds United this season and he is likely to start from the left-back slot. Stuart Dallas showed signs of struggles from the right-back position against Bolton Wanderers but due to lack of options, he might be pencilled therein once again.
Midfield
Forshaw’s absence is a massive blow for Heckingbottom’s side and there is no denying that. However, Eunan O’Kane and Ronaldo Vieira have a decent camaraderie amongst themselves and the duo is seemingly likely to be slotted in the central defensive midfield.
They must cushion the backline properly as the Cottagers’ attacking endeavours have been appealing to watch this season. Samuel Saiz came off the bench against the Wanderers and he is seemingly likely to start on Tuesday as the central attacking midfielder.
Attack
Pablo Hernandez has showcased his attacking calibre time and again this season. The 32-year-old has plundered 6 goals and has also registered 8 assists in 35 appearances in the Championship. He would be an instrumental figure for the Peacocks in the upcoming fixture and is set to operate from the left-wing.
Caleb Ekuban showed a lot of industry in the last league game and also found the back of the net and he deserves to get the green light to start up top. From the right-wing, Ezgjan Alioski is likely to start.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
