Preview: Leeds XI vs Aston Villa – latest team and injury news, predicted lineup | OneFootball

Leeds United will welcome Aston Villa to Elland Road this afternoon in a bid to recreate their emphatic 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture. The Whites are coming off the back of their 3-0 win over Southampton and morale will be sky high in camp. They will hope to add another three points to the bank in their bid to keep progressing up the Premier League table.

Marcelo Bielsa confirmed in his latest press conference that Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips will not be available for the match, but he is uncertain over the fitness levels of Mateusz Klich. However, he stressed the importance of Diego Llorente’s return to action against Southampton.

Football FanCast has predicted how Bielsa will line up to face Villa this afternoon…

It’s not often a team that bags a 3-0 win gets altered, however, the boss may opt to make one change in his usual 4-1-4-1 formation. The match against Southampton saw Bielsa stray from his staple lineup, opting for a 3-3-3-1 instead. This saw Raphinha play on the left, Jack Harrison on the right and Tyler Roberts just behind Patrick Bamford in attack.

Roberts bagged himself an assist, pleading a strong case for his spot in the starting XI. It’s unlikely Bielsa will want to drop the playmaker, who is on the cusp of unleashing his full potential with the Whites. Accompanied by Stuart Dallas, he will have freedom to get forward whilst his teammate operates between attacking and tracking back to help defend.

£15,000-a-week man Harrison had an oddly quiet game against the Saints, managing just seven successful passes before he was hauled off after the break, according to Sofascore. The Manchester City loanee struggled to find his usual clinical groove and was replaced by Helder Costa. The 27-year-old winger also registered an assist, marking his second goalscoring contribution in his last three fixtures.

Costa could be rewarded for his hard graft these last few games by earning a spot on the team sheet ahead of Harrison. Villa are without a win for two consecutive games now and will be throwing everything at trying to get three points today. Leeds will need their most clinical attack to catch them out and Costa could make a huge statement by troubling their defence.

In other news, Leeds target Nicolas N’Koulou commits fewer fouls than Cooper & Koch…