Leeds United kick off their FA Cup campaign away at Newport County on Sunday.
With Leeds doing well in the Championship right now but the demons of Sutton United still lingering when the FA Cup is mentioned, it is difficult to know how seriously Thomas Christiansen plans to take Sunday’s trip to Newport County in the third round of the competition.
The humiliating loss at Sutton last year appeared to represent Garry Monk’s attempt to make it clear that the Whites needed to strengthen in January – but the plan backfired as the mixture of first-team backup options and academy prospects were knocked out by the non-league side, and the shock of the loss certainly seemed to have a negative impact on Leeds’ play-off push with many reflecting on that day as a turning point.
An incredible amount has changed since then, and defeat to League Two side Newport would not go as far down in infamy as the loss at Sutton, but making too many drastic changes may be something that Christiansen is not particularly keen on doing, and thus, we expect just one academy starlet to make the starting lineup if the Leeds boss fancies taking a risk.
Jack Clarke has been earning plaudits left, right and centre this season and has been rewarded with a professional contract. The 17-year-old is arguably the most exciting prospect coming through right now, and Christiansen should look to give him a chance at some stage. Perhaps Sunday would be the perfect opportunity.
Clarke’s inclusion is one of eight changes we are expecting following the stalemate with Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day, with five of the men who started on the bench against Forest coming into the side.
Felix Wiedwald drops out for Andy Lonergan, while Gaetano Berardi is the only survivor from the back four that started on Monday, with Matthew Pennington and Conor Shaughnessy coming in at centre-back and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson earning a rare appearance on the left.
Eunan O’Kane and Mateusz Klich may play alongside each other in the middle behind a three of Clarke, Hadi Sacko and Kalvin Phillips, with the latter featuring in the number 10 role that he has done well in when used there in the past. The likes of Samuel Saiz, Pablo Hernandez and Gjanni Alioski should perhaps be included on the bench.
Up front, Pierre-Michel Lasogga may earn his first start since November. If Leeds are not complacent, a game against a fourth tier side may be ideal for the German to restore some confidence after a difficult spell.
With that in mind, here is a look at the lineup in full…
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