Leeds United come up against high-flying side Derby County in the Sky Bet Championship tonight. The Whites are in the middle of a wretched run and will find it tough to turn around their luck against Bristol City.
When Thomas Christian walked into the club, the board was hoping to see the positive effect of having a foreign manager, in a manner somewhat similar to what David Wagner or Marco Silva has had at Huddersfield Town and Hull City last season.
Leeds got off to a flying start to their new season. Fast flowing football that was easy on the eye and a defence that since the opening game at Bolton had conceded three goals in eight games meant that Leeds could not have hoped for a better start. The Leeds machine, however, began to show signs of crack as the league progressed and they now stand eleventh in the table after 13 defeats in 32 games. It led to the sacking of their manager but his departure did little to turn around the club’s fortune
Doubts are clouding over the club and the atmosphere at Leeds right now is grave. Several post-mortem reports of the club’s defeats have speculated about various aspects that the club needs to get right. One clear need for a position of reinforcement is that of a striker.
They were lucky to snatch a 2-2 draw against Bristol City last time around. Lees had fallen behind by two goals to nil only to make a second-half comeback. They have not won a single game in almost 10 matches and will want to end that misery when they face Derby County.
6 defeat in 9 games means that Leeds are no longer near the top six in the table. With playoff hopes rapidly disappearing, Leeds will be preparing for another assault next season. As for tonight’s match, they will know it will be a tough task to beat a team who are in the fourth spot and firmly in the race for the playoffs. This is how they will want to line up.
Formation: 4-3-3
Defence
Felix Wiedwald to play in goal for Leeds. The centre-back pairing is likely to be Matthew Pennington and Pontus Jansson who will look to keep their side out of harm’s way from the opposition attackers. The full-backs are likely to be Vurnon Anita and Laurens De Bock.
Midfield
Eunan O’Kane along with Adam Forshaw and Kalvin Phillips are expected in midfield.
Attack
Pierre-Michel Lasogga might lead the line with Ezgjan Alioski and Pablo Hernandez on the wings for the Peacocks.
