All three of Leeds United’s final Championship fixtures are now crucial after they fell out of the play-off places.
Leeds United’s Ronaldo Vieira
Noel Whelan has told BBC Radio Leeds in the wake of Leeds’ defeat to Wolves at the weekend that he would bring Ronaldo Vieira back in for the Whites’ next game before urging Garry Monk to keep faith with Kemar Roofe.
Leeds go into the final three games of the regular season under a huge amount of pressure after their defeat to Paul Lambert’s men saw them fall out of the play-off places with little time to get back in.
With Sheffield Wednesday’s clash with Fulham on the final day meaning that three wins will see Leeds regain a play-off spot, they are still able to concentrate on their own fortunes, starting with the game against Burton.
And former Whites striker Whelan has suggested that bringing Vieira back into the fold after he missed two games with injury is a must, while Roofe should also feature against the Brewers.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
“I’d definitely bring Vieira back. Maybe not with Phillips – how do you get the right blend of energy and tenacity, of quality? Burton will be hard-working and aggressive. They’re organised under Nigel Clough and they’ll take a point to keep them where they are,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.
“Illness always takes a little bit out of you, but Vieira has a few days now to get back to fitness. I think I’d like to keep Roofe in there – it was an off-day for him. Players were rushing things and looking for wonderballs when they needed to keep things simple.”
Leeds United’s Kemar Roofe in action
Though Roofe – like the rest of the team, perhaps barring Rob Green – was poor against Wolves, he undoubtedly has the potential to make something special happen as he proved in the last two games.
He scored and bagged an assist in the 3-0 win over Preston, and then put in a stunning cross that led to the equaliser in the game against Newcastle last Friday, so should be a player that Monk looks to to create something that will get Leeds back on track.
Meanwhile, Vieira has arguably been Leeds’ best performing holding midfielder throughout the campaign so having him back available would be a massive boost to the side’s chances of picking up a valuable win.
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