Leeds United will be hoping to build on their brilliant second-half comeback in their previous Championship fixture.
Leeds may still be awaiting their first win in the Championship since the turn of the year, but it is fair to suggest that Paul Heckingbottom’s men have plenty of momentum heading into their midweek clash with Derby County.
The Whites were 2-0 down after an awful start to their game against Bristol City on Sunday, but a brilliant turnaround in the final 20 minutes saw Leeds not only score twice through Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Kemar Roofe, but also threaten to find a stoppage-time winner with Kalvin Phillips and Lasogga going close in the final seconds of the game.
There is still plenty of work to do for Heckingbottom, but the performance will certainly give him major reason for encouragement heading into the game with the Rams at Pride Park on Wednesday.
One major question that Heckingbottom will have to answer is whether to stick with Felix Wiedwald. The German’s season has been a turbulent one, but it appeared that he may have turned a corner in recent weeks. However, it was his mistake that led to the first goal on Sunday, and some fans will undoubtedly urge the boss to make a change between the sticks.
But with Andy Lonergan’s spell in goal earlier in the campaign proving to be unsuccessful, Heckingbottom would be forgiven for sticking with Wiedwald for now and perhaps hoping that he can get through to the summer when he can reassess his options.
In defence, Matthew Pennington’s poor performance at centre-back should arguably tempt the Leeds boss to immediately recall Liam Cooper following the end of his suspension.
Two other players are also available after completing suspensions. But with Vurnon Anita impressing at right-back against the Robinsit would be no surprise if Gaetano Berardi was left on the bench against Derby.
Samuel Saiz however, may well return to the side. Heckingbottom may have hoped to bring the Spanish magician back into the fold gradually, but his creativity could be crucial to Leeds’ chances of ending their run of terrible starts. And with Caleb Ekuban enduring a difficult time with injuries this term, the short turnaround may tempt the manager to switch the formation slightly and have Saiz playing just behind Lasogga.
Eunan O’Kane may be dropped after a couple of lacklustre displays. Phillips replaced him against Bristol City, so the youngster starting alongside Adam Forshaw would be the least surprising decision, but Ronaldo Vieira may also be hoping for a chance.
With that in mind, here is a look at the predicted lineup in full…
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