When selecting his starting lineup for today’s crucial Championship match at Elland Road against Southampton, Daniel Farke must make two important choices. Leeds United supporters are undoubtedly tired of hearing this formula, but in order for the Whites to finish in second place, they must win this lunchtime and hope Huddersfield can do the same against Ipswich.
Farke is aware that his team only needs to get three points, regardless of what transpires at Portman Road. Rotation and formation experimentation are long gone, and Leeds only needs to field their best XI in the present.
Naturally, things are rarely as easy as they seem. Although long-term absentees Stuart Dallas and Pascal Struijk, as well as Welsh attacker Daniel James, will miss today’s match, it’s still unclear how much of a part Patrick Bamford and Connor Roberts can play.
The players had late fitness tests at Thorp Arch last night, and Farke said they had anticipated the bruises, which meant that Bamford would have healed by now and could only watch from the sidelines at Loftus Road.
Mateo Joseph will persist in pushing Joel Piroe for a starting position in other areas, as Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville are probably going to maintain their wide duties ahead of Jaidon Anthony. Ilia Gruev is anticipated to start in the middle of the park, but Farke has to choose between sticking with Sam Byram or calling up Glen Kamara to play full back instead of Archie Gray.
Meslier, Darlow, Klaesson, Gray, Rodon, Firpo, Byram, Cooper, Cresswell, Shackleton, Roberts, Ampadu, Kamara, Gruev, Gnonto, Summerville, Anthony, Bamford, Piroe, Rutter, Gelhardt, Joseph are the Leeds United players that will take on Southampton.