It’s fair to say things haven’t gone to plan for Leeds United so far this season.
The Whites are yet to win a game in the Premier League, but Friday’s game against Newcastle United will provide them with a great chance of picking up their first victory of the campaign.
However, things won’t be easy for Leeds against the Magpies, and that’s partially going to be down to their ongoing crisis in defence.
Indeed, the Whites have a real issue at centre-back at the moment, Diego Llorente and Robin Koch are out injured, while Pascal Struijk is banned for the next three games.
That means Liam Cooper is their only available senior centre-half, and with that in mind, we’re having a go at predicting the Yorkshire club’s starting XI for this one…
Marcelo Bielsa will have to do a bit of a reshuffle here, and we think we could see a debut from Cody Drameh.
Indeed, Luke Ayling may move over to centre-back, as he’s proven he can play there on a number of occasions, and while Jamie Shackleton is an option at right-back, Drameh’s presence on the bench this season suggests he’s moved up the pecking order.
Junior Firpo starts on the left, while the midfield is about what you’d expect it to be.
Raphinha and Jack Harrison start on the wings, meaning there’s no space for Daniel James in this XI, while Rodrigo and Stuart Dallas start in the middle behind Patrick Bamford who spearheads the attack.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
