Leeds United hopeful as Daniel Farke eyes progress and debuts at Chelsea | OneFootball

Leeds United can set a new League Cup marker under Daniel Farke if they beat Chelsea tonight, the head coach has yet to take the club into the fourth round. According to Leeds Live, he has two competition wins with Leeds, 2-1 against Shrewsbury in 2023 and 2-0 at Nottingham Forest last time out.

Leeds are unbeaten in four this season and have lost only once since April’s FA Cup semi-final loss to Chelsea at Wembley. Farke wants that rhythm to continue, even a narrow, spirited defeat could still sustain momentum.

Farke signalled heavier rotation than a league match, so debuts are possible. Pre-match comments point to goalkeeper Michael Zetterer potentially making his first start. Deadline-day arrivals are in contention, with Melvin Bard likelier to begin as Gabriel Gudmundsson may need a rest after 90 minutes against Brighton, while Jean-Matteo Bahoya looks a bench option.

Chelsea became the first side to score inside the opening five minutes of each of their first three Premier League matches, though they lost 2-1 to Arsenal on Sunday. The longer Leeds keep them out, the better their chance of pinching a result. United have conceded only twice in four games and could frustrate Chelsea’s rotated line-up.

Leeds also came from two down to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge last season, though Chelsea are different under new boss Xabi Alonso. Farke drew one and lost one against Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in 2022/23, so a win would be another personal marker. Wilson, still adapting after four outings, has 0.1 xG and 0.07 expected assists across 62 minutes in the past two games, and may again start on the bench yet still feature.

Source: Leeds Live

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