Leeds United’s poor run of form has seen them slip to the second spot on the table on goal difference. Marcelo Bielsa would be a worried man right now as the Whites have now lost 5 of their last seven games. They aren’t scoring as freely as they would want to and they have also failed to keep things tight at the back.
United are set to travel to the Riverside Stadium to take on Middlesbrough. The Teessiders were rocked by a midweek defeat against League Two strugglers Newport County in the FA Cup, but Tony Pulis and his men would be a fierce opposition to deal with in this Championship game. The Boro currently have the best defensive record in the league, and they are coming into this match at the back of a crucial win against fellow promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion. The last time these two sides met at Elland Road, it ended in a goalless stalemate. We expect another cagey encounter and one or two goals might do the trick for either side.
Team News: Izzy Brown is close to coming back, and he might feature on the bench. Stuart Dallas and Gaetano Berardi are definitely going to miss out due to injury.
Leeds United’s predicted lineup Vs Middlesbrough
Formation (4-1-4-1)
Defence
Kiko Casilla has established himself as the first choice stopper after his arrival at Elland Road. The Spaniard is set to start in goal. Pontus Jansson and Liam Copper are expected to partner up at the back, and both of them would have to be wary of the threat that the Boro players can carry on set pieces.
Luke Ayling has been poor with his performances for the past few game weeks, but he could be trusted again by the gaffer to start in a right-back role. We might see the return of Barry Douglas in the left back spot.
Midfield
Kalvin Phillips could get the nod ahead of Adam Forshaw to start in the deeper role in midfield. Further up front, Mateusz Klich is a nailed on starter. We might see Bielsa go in with a new attacking midfielder in this game and that could be Kemar Roofe. Pablo Hernandez is likely to start from the right, but he will often look to drift inside and come into central areas. Ezgjan Alioski is expected to start from the left flank.
Attack
Patrick Bamford has impressed in his cameo appearances, and the marquee summer signing is expected to lead the line in this tie for the Whites.
