Leeds team news vs Man City and predicted lineup | OneFootball

Leeds United will be hoping to bolster their safety hopes with a big win over Manchester City this weekend.

The Whites are currently 15th and sit six points clear of the relegation zone, with 11 games left to play.

Leeds predicted lineup vs Man City

Leeds (5-4-1): Darlow; Bogle, Struijk, Rodon, Justin, Gudmundsson; Stach, Gruev, Ampadu, Aaronson; Calvert-Lewin.

Daniel Farke’s men are unbeaten in three in the Premier League, in a run which has seen them face Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Aston Villa. But Leeds have drawn their past two matches.

Leeds have also lost each of their past five Premier League games against Man City, including the past two at Elland Road.

Leeds team news vs Man City

A 3-2 defeat to Man City at the end of November saw Farke move to a system with three centre-backs. And it’s a system he has stuck with since — though he sometimes switches between a back three and a more defensive back five.

A back five is likely given the opposition, and it’s a system Farke has used against both Chelsea and Aston Villa recently. And we may see Farke stick with the same starting XI from the draw with Villa.

Pascal Struijk and Anton Stach are both back in the team, having missed one and two games respectively. Sebastiaan Bornauw and Jaka Bijol have been the ones to drop down to the bench.

Leeds are in a very good position when it comes to injuries, with Noah Okafor the only absentee. He’ll hope to be back within a few weeks, currently suffering with a hamstring problem.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will continue to lead the line, with Stach and Brenden Aaronson providing the wideth. Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev should be the central midfield partnership.

James Justin has been playing at centre-back more recently and will likely form part of the back three again.

Leeds’ interesting home run

More often than not, a promoted side looks to build their safety hopes on a good home record. And that’s been the case with Leeds this season. Whatever the occasion, Elland Road will be one of the toughest places for teams to visit.

There’s also something special about games being played “under the lights”. In other words, when the sun has gone down and floodlights are necessary. And Elland Road under the lights certainly has an affect on opponents.

Leeds are unbeaten in their last 25 league or play-off matches at Elland Road that have kicked off after 5pm. The Whites have won 20 of those matches, drawing the other five. They last tasted defeat under the lights at Elland Road in April 2023, when Liverpool left with a comprehensive 6-1 victory.