Clues are there for anyone trying to piece together Jesse Marsch’s line-up for Sunday’s clash with Chelsea. Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas and Junior Firpo are definitely out, while there were hints at Liam Cooper and Patrick Bamford’s situations in Friday’s press conference.
The captain and striker were not ruled out of Sunday’s game, but the latter effectively did that on the club’s podcast. Rodrigo was also trumpeted as the weekend’s captain and penalty-taker by Marsch.
The final 20 minutes at Southampton were tough to watch, but it’s been a very promising start to the campaign in general for Marsch’s side. It’s very hard to see him making anything other than enforced changes for Chelsea’s visit.
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Bamford looks like the one candidate to drop out of the XI in that case and the next clue may have come in the immediate change Marsch made at Southampton. Daniel James, who has been encouraged to play down the right by the American, looks ready-made to begin on Sunday.
While Joe Gelhardt has had the odd niggle here and there, including last week’s dead leg, James has trained consistently throughout the summer and through that opening-week suspension he had to serve. Ironically then, James’s first league start since that Chelsea red could come against Chelsea.
Marsch was pretty positive about Rodrigo's contribution when he moved into the number nine slot last weekend too, further underlining which way he’s likely to go at Elland Road. Brenden Aaronson, so effectively used as a central attacking force in Austria, will be comfortable playing behind the Brazilian.
Predicted line-up: Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Llorente, Struijk; Adams, Roca; James, Aaronson, Harrison; Rodrigo.
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