Leeds United face a huge task trying to bounce back from defeat in their most recent Championship game.
After an encouraging start to his tenure, Paul Heckingbottom saw all of Leeds’ momentum quashed in emphatic fashion on Friday night as they were beaten comfortably by a Middlesbrough side that seemingly did not need to get into top gear at the Riverside Stadium.
It was a display that would have reminded Leeds fans that there is no magic cure to the problems that plagued the final weeks of Thomas Christiansen’s tenure at Elland Road – and it would be no surprise if the display prompted Heckingbottom to make a number of changes and take a few more risks ahead of Wolves’ visit this Wednesday.
With Nuno Espirito Santo’s men strolling to the Championship title and Leeds’ slim play-off hopes looking very bleak, throwing a few surprises in there may be a good way for Heckingbottom to inject some positivity into the ranks and send a message to his underperforming players that they are playing for their futures.
The inclusion of two academy graduates may initially appear a gamble, but replacing Felix Wiedwald and Vurnon Anita with Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Tyler Denton respectively is arguably not that great a risk with questions continuing to be asked about Wiedwald and Anita enduring a torrid time against Adama Traore.
It may appear that they would be thrown in at the deep end if either Peacock-Farrell or Denton started against the league leaders, but Leeds’ status as underdog takes the pressure off somewhat – even if they are going to be severely tested.
There are also several changes in midfield in our predicted lineup, with Adam Forshaw and Ronaldo Vieira – both second-half substitutes against Boro – coming in for Eunan O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips.
Perhaps the biggest gamble comes on the right-wing as it may not be a huge shock to see Hadi Sacko handed his first league start of the season. Sacko has struggled since arriving on a permanent basis, but has looked brighter under Heckingbottom and may be something of a wildcard with Leeds surely needing a bit of magic to spring a surprise.
Elsewhere, Gaetano Berardi, Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Samuel Saiz and Pierre-Michel Lasogga may keep their places. But all could be vulnerable if Heckingbottom decides that it is worth making further changes for a game that few Leeds fans will be particularly confident heading into.
With that in mind, here is a look at the predicted lineup in full…
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