TANAKA & "DANGEROUS" STAR UNLEASHED: PREDICTED LEEDS LINEUP VS BURNLEY

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship on Saturday as they prepare to face off against Burnley at Elland Road in the early kick-off.

Daniel Farke and his coaching staff have had two weeks off, due to the international break, to get ready for this clash with the recently relegated outfit.

The Whites won their last two matches before the break, beating Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, and will be hoping to continue that run of form this weekend.

Leeds are unbeaten in their first four matches of the Championship campaign, with two draws and two wins, and beat Hull 2-0 in their last match in the division.

Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe scored the goals for the West Yorkshire side to secure all three points against Tim Walter's side but the result does not guarantee that the manager will keep an unchanged side.

Here is our predicted Leeds XI to take on Burnley at Elland Road on Saturday, with some changes from the line-up that was selected against the Tigers...

Illan Meslier

The French shot-stopper, Illan Meslier, has kept three clean sheets in his last three appearances in the Championship and should retain his position between the sticks.

Despite that, he has still let in 0.76 more goals than expected based on the xG against his goal in his four outings in the division this season, which suggests that there are still areas of his game that need work.

Jayden Bogle

At right-back, Jayden Bogle, who was signed from Sheffield United on a permanent deal during the summer, should be in the starting XI once again.

The English defender won nine of his 12 duels in the 2-0 win over Hull, whilst making four tackles and one interception, to help his side to a clean sheet.

Joe Rodon

Joe Rodon should keep his place at the heart of the defence for Leeds as he has started all four matches in the division and helped the team to keep three shutouts in that time.

However, the Wales international has only won 20% of his ground duels in the Championship so far, and that is a clear area of improvement for the central defender.

Pascal Struijk

On the left side of the defence, Pascal Struijk should pair Rodon because he has also started all four league matches as part of the impressive start to the season from a defensive perspective.

The 25-year-old Dutchman completed 96% of his attempted passes against Hull and made interceptions and one block to keep the ball away from Meslier's goal.

Junior Firpo

At left-back, Junior Firpo should be in the starting XI because he is the only naturally left-footed left-back option for Farke to select from his squad.

The attack-minded full-back assisted Piroe's goal against Hull, provided three key passes, and created one 'big chance' last time out for Leeds.

Ao Tanaka

The first change to the starting XI could come at the base of the midfield for the Whites, with Ao Tanaka coming into the side to replace Ilia Gruev.

Against high-quality opposition in Burnley, Leeds may need more of a goal threat from midfield to give themselves the best chance of coming away with all three points.

Gruev has produced zero goals and one assist in 33 regular season matches in the Championship so far in his career, which suggests that he does not offer much at the top end of the pitch.

Whereas, Tanaka, who signed from Fortuna Dusseldorf last month, racked up seven goals and three assists in 30 2. Bundesliga matches last season, which suggests that he has more to offer than Gruev as an attacking threat from a midfield position.

Ethan Ampadu

Selecting Ethan Ampadu to start in the middle of the park for Leeds should be an easy decision for Farke to make, as he is the captain of the team.

The Wales international has started all 50 of the manager's regular season matches in charge of the club to date, which speaks to how much he trusts the midfielder week-in-week-out.

Wilfried Gnonto

On the right side of the attack, Wilfried Gnonto should retain his place in the starting XI. Dan James has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury, which means that there is not as much competition for that spot in the side.

The Italy U21 international completed 96% of his attempted passes and created one 'big chance' for his teammates in the win over Hull last time out.

Joel Piroe

The second and final change to the starting XI could come in the attacking midfield position, as Joel Piroe could be unleashed from the start over Brenden Aaronson.

During the international break, Aaronson played 66 minutes for the USA in America against New Zealand on Wednesday and the quick turn-around, with this clash against Burnley at 12:30 pm on Saturday, might mean that he will not be 100% ready for this clash.

The attacking midfielder, who has scored two goals in four games this season, does not deserve to be dropped but his international exploits may factor into this decision.

That would then open the door for Piroe, who was once hailed as "dangerous" by journalist Josh Bunting, to be unleashed after he came off the bench to score in the 2-0 win over Hull.

Manor Solomon

On the left side of the attack, summer signing Manor Solomon should start for the second time since his season-long loan move from Tottenham Hotspur.

The winger provided a fantastic assist for Joseph's opener against Hull last time out, with a driving run down the left flank before whipping a superb cross into the front post area.

Mateo Joseph

The 20-year-old centre-forward deserves to maintain his place as the starting number nine for Leeds after an impressive start to the season.

Joseph, who has come up through the academy system at Thorp Arch, scored the opening goal against Hull with a clever finish at the near post, and has produced two assists in his four Championship outings so far this term.

This means that the full starting XI for Leeds would be: Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo; Tanaka, Ampadu (C); Gnonto, Piroe, Solomon; Joseph.

2024-09-14T06:23:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd