Wednesday night, the Whites faced Chelsea in the FA Cup with nothing to lose against Premier League opponents, and even though they lost 3-2, they shown their talent.
Leeds went toe-to-toe with Chelsea’s expensively-assembled squad and could have come away with a win on another day – and now attention turns to a West Yorkshire derby.
Leeds had a few setbacks to contend with before travelling to Stamford Bridge following their exciting victory against Leicester City last week.
But, Daniel Farke provided some excellent news during his press conference, as Leeds prepare to resume league play. He provided the following update (via the YEP):
Here is the lineup that we believe Farke should select for the visit to John Smith’s Stadium.
Leeds should be back to full strength for Wednesday’s FA Cup match after rotating important players.
Having kept six clean sheets in 2024, Illan Meslier will look to maintain his position in goal.
Liam Cooper leaves the team to be replaced by Ethan Ampadu in the back four, and Archie Grey returns to right-back to cover Connor Roberts. Joe Rodon and Junior Firpo remain in their positions.
The ideal situation would be a double pivot of Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara in the middle of the pitch, but that depends on the Bulgarian’s late fitness test. Farke would have an unwelcome selection dilemma in this situation because he hasn’t had Grey and Kamara play together yet.
Leeds’ onslaught made things very difficult for the Blues on Wednesday, but in order to get the best players back in the team, adjustments will need to be made.
With Georginio Rutter back in offensive midfield, Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto, who both came off the bench and provided a serious threat to Chelsea, will be eager to continue where they left off in the league.
Patrick Bamford should lead the line from the front, but Leeds knows they have another option if necessary thanks to Mateo Joseph’s excellent performance this week.
