Leeds United boss Paul Heckingbottom will be hoping that he can leave his old side in more trouble in the Championship.
With Paul Heckingbottom coming under increasing pressure from the Leeds fans, there may perhaps be no worse fixture for the Whites head coach to face than a home game against his old side Barnsley.
The Tykes are fighting to beat the drop in the Championship and a win for the visitors at Elland Road on Saturday would surely leave Heckingbottom’s critics more convinced than ever that he is not the man to take the club forward next season.
Heckingbottom may not want to admit it, but it may be tempting to try and take few risks with his team selection as, if he is under any pressure from the board, losing could have major implications for his future.
One player that may be recalled to the side is Eunan O’Kane. O’Kane has been poor for much of the season and has become a scapegoat for the fans in recent months, but he was Heckingbottom’s first captain and the head coach may feel that his experience could be beneficial if he decides to stick with the same, youthful back four that took on Aston Villa last week. It is unlikely that O’Kane getting a recall would go down well however.
Meanwhile, there may be a revamp going forward. Caleb Ekuban and Jay-Roy Grot continue to struggle, and Pierre-Michel Lasogga may do well to feature again if there is no intention to seek another deal beyond his current loan.
That may tempt Heckingbottom to bring Samuel Saiz back into the starting lineup and push Kemar Roofe up front. It is not an ideal step, but it may represent the best move that the head coach could make right now. Keeping faith with Grot or Ekuban is asking for trouble and the Villa performance may have perhaps the wake-up call that Heckingbottom needed to try something different.
If fit, Pontus Jansson may return. But with Paudie O’Connor impressing and Matthew Pennington putting in a potentially encouraging display last time out given that he was not fully fit, Heckingbottom may want to see whether there is potential in that partnership.
With that in mind, here is a look at the predicted lineup in full…
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