A defeat against Stoke City in the aftermath of the infamous ‘Spygate’ row has reduced Leeds United’s four-point comfort on the top of the table to just one with the second-placed Norwich City. The Whites, under iconic Marcelo Bielsa, are struggling through injury woes and suspension. However, they should be determined to bounce back and the Saturday afternoon’s Yorkshire derby versus Rotherham United would be crucial in shaping up their top-flight hopes.
The Millers, on the other hand, are fighting to escape a relegation scare. But they must be upbeat about causing an upset to the league leaders in front of the home crowd having lost the reverse tie at Elland Road earlier this term.
Team News
The Whites are expecting a few of their stars to recover soon. The Rotherham tie, however, might come too early for the likes of Stuart Dallas [foot], Patrick Bamford [knee] and Izzy Brown [knee].
Barry Douglas, meanwhile, is expected to return to action this weekend having missed a few games with a muscle strain. Kalvin Phillips is available upon completion of his three-game suspension, but the team will miss the presence of their defensive ace Pontus Jansson who was controversially sent off versus the Potters.
Gaetano Berardi recovered ahead of schedule but suffered a slight hamstring strain while featuring for the U23s. He is unlikely to make it to the matchday squad against Rotherham.
Formation
The unavailability of crucial resources has not resulted in a change of tactics, and the veteran Argentine is expected to field the Whites in a 4-1-4-1 setup similar to their previous outings.
Defence
Although Bailey Peacock-Farrell improved immensely in the last few weeks, the gaffer should hand Kiko Casilla his Leeds debut after the goalie completed a high-profile winter switch from Real Madrid.
Luke Ayling must be occupying his usual right-back role whereas skipper Liam Cooper should partner the returning Kalvin Phillips in the heart of Leeds’ backline. The suspension of Jansson would see versatile Phillips slotting in a central defensive role. Ezgjan Alioski featured as a left fullback off late but might be restored down the wide midfield if Barry Douglas is declared fit to face the Millers.
Midfield
Adam Forshaw would start in the ‘hole’ in between their ‘backline’ and ‘four-man midfield. Mateusz Klich, who had a disappointing outing versus Stoke last week, is expected to operate centrally alongside veteran Pablo Hernandez. The Spaniard has been more influential on the flanks but is now being deployed in the middle to cope with injuries and the departure of Saiz.
Ezgjan Alioski should be utilized on the left flank for his tireless runs, pace and crossing traits. Bielsa, meanwhile, might face a selection dilemma over choosing between Jack Harrison and Jack Clarke. The latter, however, has been exquisite despite being so young and should be lined up in the starting XI.
Attack
In-form Kemar Roofe would spearhead the Leeds attack but must be expecting more passes inside the box to mark his name on the scoresheet having netted 14 league goals already.
