Despite fighting for survival midway through the season, Daniel Farke, the Leeds United boss, turned things around in recent weeks with a win against Chelsea, followed by an entertaining 3-3 draw with Liverpool at Elland Road. But they must maintain the momentum on the road, as the hosts, Brentford, would aim to bounce back on Sunday evening following back-to-back defeats against their London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Farke switched to a ‘back three’ following their defeat against Aston Villa, and the tactical alteration has so far yielded positive results in terms of maintaining composure and compactness at the back, fluidity in midfield, and sharpness up top. They are still without several key names due to injury problems, but the gaffer has managed his options well to grind out results against the Premier League heavyweights.
Predicted 3-5-2 Leeds United Lineup To Face Brentford
Defence
Lucas Perri had a nervy occasion against the Reds, but he remains their ‘number 1’ ahead of Karl Darlow or Illan Meslier. The Brazilian, signed from Lyon this summer, must show more resilience from the last line of defence.
Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk were the preferred central defensive pairing in a ‘back four’ formation. But the three-man backline has allowed Jaka Bijol to slot in after limited appearances early in the campaign. Sebastiaan Bornauw could be brought in at some stage to add more depth in the defensive third.
Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson have done well as the wingbacks, offering a balance between defence and attack. James Justin and Sam Byram would deputise the duo on the flanks; however, Leeds United are lacking depth in midfield, primarily due to Sean Longstaff’s calf injury, which has ruled him out for 4-6 weeks. Skipper Ethan Ampadu is driving the show from the base as a deep-lying playmaker and allowing Anton Stach to occupy a free role in the middle of the park. Ao Tanaka, the ‘super sub’ who scored the late equaliser against Liverpool, should get the nod over Ilia Gruev for the other box-to-box spot.
Attack
While Daniel James is sidelined with a hamstring tendon injury, Lukas Nmecha would undergo a late fitness test, having missed the Liverpool tie. Noah Okafor would partner with Dominic Calvert-Lewin high up the pitch if the German fails to recover in time. Wilfried Gnonto, Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson could be brought in as impact substitutes to inject more firepower in and around the attacking third.
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