Daniel Farke’s Leeds United take on Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Friday, March 8, 2024. The visitors will be looking to close the gap on second place Ipswich Town. Kick-off is at 8:00PM GMT. Last Word on Football brings you a Leeds predicted lineup as they prepare to take on relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday.
Leeds United Predicted Lineup vs Sheffield Wednesday
How Leeds United have Lined-up Recently
The Whites have used a slightly changed squad for the majority of the games since the start of February, with Farke maintaining his 4-2-3-1 lineup that has been successful for most of this season. Since their last game against Stoke, he’s made three changes from the squad that drew away to Huddersfield three days earlier.
Illan Meslier kept his 15th clean sheet in his 34th Championship appearance this term. Archie Gray was replaced by Connor Roberts in the starting lineup, who made his full Championship debut for Leeds. Team staples Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu kept their places, with Sam Byram replacing Junior Firpo. Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara maintained their places in defensive midfield.
Match winner, Daniel James replaced Wilfried Gnonto in the midfield consisting of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville. Rutter’s assist in midweek pulls him up to 12 total so far this season, more than any other Leeds player. He is also the joint second for most assists within the Championship, two behind leader Leif Davis for Ipswich with 14. Patrick Bamford, who scored the equaliser in their last match is the sole striker up top. Bamford is currently on six goals this term, being Leeds’ fifth top goalscorer in the league; a position he would hope to climb in the latter half of this campaign.
🎙 Daniel sits down with the press ahead of Friday's clash against Sheffield Wednesday https://t.co/jvU0OTeFim
— Leeds United (@LUFC) March 6, 2024
Leeds United’s recent form
Recently, Leeds United have been unstoppable within the Championship, going on an 11-game unbeaten run. This run includes a 4-0 win over promotion rivals Ipswich Town and Norwich City. Moreover, they’ve scored 24 goals in their last 11, averaging around 2.2 strikes per match. On the flip side, they’ve conceded only three times on their unbeaten run, averaging only 0.3 goals conceded per match. This run has helped Farke’s side improve their goal difference to be the second-best in the table after Leicester.
Read More: Leeds Now Close to Securing Premier League Defender with 50+ Caps for His National Team
In their last outing, they narrowly beat a relegation-threatened Stoke City side 1-0 thanks to a 33′ minute goal by Daniel James. This win puts the Whites third in the Championship, six points clear of Southampton, who themselves went on a 25-match unbeaten run this season in all competitions. Yet, they sit just outside the automatic promotion spots, with Ipswich just two points ahead.
Leeds United Injuries News
They currently have three injuries to consider. Stuart Dallas is out with a broken hip and is expected to return in late March. Dallas hasn’t played any of Leeds’ games so far in the Championship, with his last being on April 30 2022, in a 4-0 Premier League defeat against Manchester City. Pascal Struijk is also out injured and is expected to return later this month. Struijk has been unavailable since the turn of the year. The last player on Leeds’ injury list is Jamie Shackleton, with the 17-year-old doubtful to be match fit in time. He has merely played in 13 games this season, with his last start being against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.
Leeds United Predicted Lineup vs Sheffield Wednesday
Meslier,
Roberts, Byram, Rodon, Ampadu,
Gruev, Kamara,
James, Rutter, Summerville,
Bamford,
Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United Prediction
Despite being on a fine run of form, Leeds have not often found Sheffield Wednesday as favourable opponents. Earlier this season, Leeds drew 0-0 with this opposition, a team that was winless at the time. Moreover, Farke’s charges are winless in their last three meetings against the Owls, losing one and drawing two.
Despite sitting 23rd, Sheffield Wednesday have won their last four matches, keeping clean sheets against Plymouth, Rotherham and Millwall. Despite being on opposite ends of the table, both sides are in fine form and conceding very few goals in their recent matches.
