Leeds United return to action for the first time in 18 days as they travel to the West Midlands to face Aston Villa.
The Whites will be desperate to get back to winning ways after they were beaten by fellow relegation battlers Newcastle last time out.
The international break has eased Marcelo Bielsa’s injury problems slightly but a handful of key players still remain out of action.
Patrick Bamford is one of those who will still be unavailable at Villa Park as his issues continue which gives his manager something of a selection headache.
Dan James is the player who has regularly been tried as the replacement in the number nine role but it continues to prove one of Bielsa’s more unsuccessful choices.
We asked Leeds supporters yesterday who they would like to see in the starting XI this evening and here is the most popular team that was selected.
As you can see, Joe Gelhardt is the man that the majority of fans want to see leading the line against Steven Gerrard’s side but he could still be short of the fitness required to play from the start.
Bielsa also hinted that the 19-year-old is further down the pecking order than supporters would expect him to be in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game.
The midfield is another area of the pitch that will provide a couple more tricky decisions for the Leeds boss. Stuart Dallas will probably be selected in his now familiar left-back role in Junior Firpo’s hamstring injury-induced absence.
That means Adam Forshaw, Robin Koch and Mateusz Klich are the likely candidates to operate in the middle of the park with the latter in a more attacking role than the aforementioned pair.
If the fans were to see the starting XI they have opted for, it would see Rodrigo drop out of the midfield after he once again struggled to affect the match in the defeat against Newcastle.
Fortunately, the decisions that Bielsa has to make in the backline and on both wings are seemingly simpler.
Fans will hope to see Raphinha and Jack Harrison keep their places in the team on the flanks while a centre-back pairing of Pascal Struijk and Diego Llorente, as well as Luke Ayling at right-back, is probably the strongest available option in the defence.
If Bielsa was to select that team, it is more than capable of securing a positive result against an Aston Villa side who have been in indifferent form since Gerrard’s arrival.
Although, there is plenty of quality at the former Liverpool captain’s disposal and those playing for the away side this evening will have to be at their best to get a result at Villa Park.
