Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Championship clash between Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Aiming to return to top two in the Championship table after a rare midweek defeat, Leeds United will welcome Queens Park Rangers to Elland Road on Saturday.
The two teams are already separated by 16 points in England’s second tier with the hosts two points outside of the automatic promotion spots and their visitors sat 23rd.
Match preview
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Leeds United will bid to get back to winning ways in the Championship on Saturday, having seen an impressive unbeaten streak brought to an end on Wednesday.
Aiming to go one better after last year’s playoff heartbreak and win promotion back to the Premier League, they have enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, amassing 26 points from their first 14 outings.
That is largely down to their eye-catching home record, having won five and drawn one of their seven league matches at Elland Road, scoring 15 goals across those and only conceding five.
The Whites stretched an unbeaten streak to eight second-tier matches with a 3-0 home victory over Plymouth Argyle last weekend, thanks to goals from Daniel James, Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson, before most recently visiting Millwall on Wednesday and leaving empty-handed as Japhet Tanganga netted the only goal in a 1-0 home triumph.
That defeat saw Farke’s men drop out of the league’s top two heading into the weekend, and now trailing second-placed Sheffield United by two points and leaders Sunderland by four, they will be keen to bounce back with a fifth straight home victory on Saturday.
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Their visitors head to Yorkshire in the midst of a battle of their own at the other end of the table, having started to be cut adrift in recent weeks.
Aiming to build on last season’s survival under the management of Marti Cifuentes, Queens Park Rangers have endured a poor start to the Championship season, currently sitting 23rd having picked up just 10 points from their first 14 games.
The Hoops’ only league victory thus far came away at Luton Town in August, and they have since added just five more points to their tally in 10 attempts, three of which came from consecutive draws against Coventry City, Burnley and Sunderland.
A home meeting with Middlesbrough then followed on Tuesday, and Cifuentes’s men failed to make it four games unbeaten, having initially fallen 2-0 down and halved the deficit through an Anfernee Dijksteel own goal, only for Emmanuel Latte Lath and Daniel Barlaser to eventually wrap up a 4-1 away triumph in the dying embers.
Now finding themselves five points adrift of safety and just one above basement side Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers head to Elland Road in an increasingly desperate position and will bid to pull off a major upset to kickstart a climb up the table.
Leeds United Championship form:
Queens Park Rangers Championship form:
Team News
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Despite their defeat to Millwall on Wednesday, Daniel Farke should field a similar Leeds United starting XI at the weekend, with key midfielders Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev and winger Largie Ramazani remaining sidelined by injuries.
Despite new competition from Josuha Guilavogui, Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell will continue their midfield partnership, while Jayden Bogle, Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon and Junior Firpo will line up in an unaltered back four.
Farke could shake up his attacking ranks, with Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford competing with Joel Piroe to come in and lead the line, while Manor Solomon will hope to displace either Daniel James, Brenden Aaronson or Willy Gnonto and come in from the start in support.
Queens Park continue to contend with an extensive injury list heading into Saturday’s trip, as defenders Kenneth Paal, Jake Clarke-Salter, Morgan Fox and Harrison Ashby are set to remain sidelined alongside midfielder Jack Colback and attackers Karamoko Dembele and Michael Frey.
In the absence of Frey and Dembele, Zan Celar should again lead the line, likely with support from Ilias Chair and Koki Saito.
For a tough trip to Elland Road, Nicolas Madsen could drop into the engine room alongside Jonathan Varane and Kieran Morgan, while Sam Field should again deputise in defence given their long list of absentees.
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Bogle, Struijk, Rodon, Firpo; Tanaka, Rothwell; Gnonto, Aaronson, Solomon; Joseph
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Dunne, Cook, Field, Santos; Chair, Varane, Morgan, Madsen, Saito; Celar
We say: Leeds United 3-0 Queens Park Rangers
Leeds United have excelled on home turf this season and should have more than enough quality to record another comfortable victory against a Queens Park Rangers side lacking any momentum.
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