Leeds United Under-21s will be targeting a return to the top of the Premier League 2 Division 2 table tonight when they take on Aston Villa at Elland Road. The Whites are on a four-game winless run at present, with their last three point haul coming in November, before the World Cup break.
They’ll be itching to turn that form around by seeing off Villa, just as they did in the reverse fixture back in August. Sonny Perkins scored the winner that night and the England U19 international could be involved again this evening after shaking off an injury.
Michal Pujdak, who is leading the U21s while Michael Skubala is with the first-team, is expected to name a strong side and there could even be some senior faces involved.
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Kristoffer Klaesson is the man expected to appear between the sticks for the Whites. He didn’t travel to Newcastle last time out, with Dani van den Heuvel getting his second start of the season after recovering from a broken neck, but Klaesson will be keen to pick up some more much-needed minutes this week.
The backline is expected to remain unchanged, with Kris Moore and Connor Ferguson impressing last time out in their respective full-back roles, either side of Jeremiah Mullen and Diogo Monteiro. Monteiro had a steady debut for Leeds in Tyneside and he’ll hope to build on that with a strong showing in his first appearance at Elland Road.
He is training with the senior squad and coaches are keeping a keen eye on his progress following his arrival from Swiss club Servette in January. Darko Gyabi and Morten Spencer could play alongside each other in the middle of the park.
As mentioned above, Perkins may feature after returning to training last week and his attacking presence would be key against the Villans, alongside Mateo Joseph, who bagged his 13th goal of the season last week against Newcastle.
Sean McGurk and Charlie Allen were arguably Leeds’ most impressive against the Magpies and they can expect to keep their spots in the side, too. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a first-teamer or two drop down to feature for the U21s tonight.
Sam Greenwood made a surprise appearance in the youth ranks last week to pick up some game time before his four-minute cameo against Everton on Saturday afternoon and the club might be tempted to give Georginio Rutter minutes this time around. The Frenchman has struggled for traction at Elland Road since his move from Hoffenheim last month and he was given just 12 minutes at Goodison Park.
Of course, throwing the club’s record signing into a youth game might not sit comfortably with some, but there is the argument that a run out would give him the chance to get some more match practice under his belt and build up form and confidence as he aims to make his mark on the Premier League.
Leeds United U21s predicted team: Kristoffer Klaesson; Kris Moore, Diogo Monteiro, Jeremiah Mullen, Connor Ferguson; Darko Gyabi, Morten Spencer; Sonny Perkins, Charlie Allen, Sean McGurk; Mateo Joseph
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