Leeds United will travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to take on Manchester City, hoping to give them a tough competition. The Whites will come into the match on the back of a 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth, which has plundered their confidence ahead of this weekend’s encounter, so they must perform better to avoid a tragic loss.
Javi Gracia will probably opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to the starting XI for this contest. Rodrigo Moreno should replace Wilfried Gnonto in the attacking third, while Pascal Struijk replaces Rasmus Kristenson to operate as the left-back.
4-2-3-1 Leeds United Predicted XI Vs Manchester City
Defence
Illan Meslier will feature in between the sticks for the Whites after conceding a couple of goals in his last league outing. Robin Koch will function alongside Liam Cooper at the centre of the Leeds backline as they look to stop the Man City attackers from creating too much trouble in their defensive half.
Luke Ayling will continue as the right-back while Pascal Struijk fills in on the other flank as the left-back. Gracia will ask both of them to keep a solid defensive shape at the back.
Maximilian Wober will drop to the bench as he provides cover for the defensive positions.
Midfield
Weston McKennie and Marc Roca will anchor the midfield for Leeds United as they hope to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park.
The gifted trio of Jack Harrison, Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville will play just ahead of them as part of Leeds’ attack. All three must move the ball well in the opposition half to create enough opportunities for the Whites to stand a chance in this weekend’s contest.
Luis Sinisterra and Brendon Aaronson will have to settle for a spot on the bench as he waits for his chance to shine in the second half if required.
Attack
Patrick Bamford will lead the charge for the West Yorkshire giants in the final third. He will have to carry most of the goal-scoring workload for the away side on his own up top.
Georgino Rutter will be named on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if Gracia decides to call upon his services.
