Thomas Christiansen will be without Gaetano Berardi as Leeds face Leicester.
Gaetano Berardi after headbutting Matty Taylor.
Thomas Christiansen will be without Gaetano Berardi for Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup clash after the defender was sent off against Bristol City for headbutting Bristol City striker Matty Taylor.
The FA confirmed on their official website that the 29-year-old hothead would miss Leeds United’s next three matches, which also include missing Championship matches against Sheffield United and Derby County.
Under manager Christiansen, Leeds have always used a four-man defence but Tuesday night’s clash could be the perfect chance for the Spanish boss to test a three-man defence.
New signings Vurnon Anita and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson are Christiansen’s only other options on the left side of defence, but neither have impressed so far throughout the 2017-18 campaign.
A summer signing from Newcastle, Anita is yet to impress at Leeds.
The Whites are more than capable of adopting a three-man defence at the back, which would see the versatile Luke Ayling push inside to become one third of such a back line.
The former Arsenal youth player has experience of playing in a three-man defence, with most of his time at Bristol City spent accompanying Aden Flint and Derreck Williams at the back.
He would join Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper in forming a trio of central defenders, with Cooper on the left side due to being strongest with his left foot.
Jansson would form a three-man defence with Ayling and Cooper.
Leicester like to get the ball into the box for the likes of Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani to attack, so having an extra man in the middle of the box to deal with such a threat could prove crucial against the Foxes.
It could just see Leeds book their place in the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup clash, knocking out another Premier League side in Leicester after disposing of Burnley in the last round.
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