Leeds United vs. Bristol City preview: Will the Gaffer’s first home game welcome a win?
On Sunday, we not only welcome Bristol City to Elland Road, but it’s also new Head Coach Paul Heckingbottom’s home debut.
Leeds United’s marketing experts have assigned tomorow’s game the Social Media Hashtag #WelcomeGaffer. However, as we haven’t won at home in the last three attempts, or at all in 2018, I’d like to welcome a win instead.
#WelcomeWin will hopefully be my hashtag come Sunday evening. Leeds United’s last home win was against Hull City December 23rd, 2017.
For me, Sunday’s game against Bristol City is a must win if we’re still to make the play offs. We are quickly running out of games - including Bristol, there are just 15 games left. There are three other teams as well as us on 44 points. Brentford, who are one place above us, play struggling Sunderland away whilst, below us, Ipswich and Norwich face off in the East Anglian derby.
Even with a win, the best we can do is hope for a draw in the derby and a loss for Brentford which will push us to tenth place - the spot we occupied at the beginning of the week. A loss? I dread to think about that.
UPDATE. As the final whistle has blown at Carrow Road we now know what we have to do. Leeds are now in 13th spot but a win by 3 clear goals will better Brenfords goal difference and takes us to tenth. A big ask, I’ll settle for three points and a positive result against Derby than hoping to climb back to tenth position today.
Bristol are in indifferent form at the moment, possibly a hangover from their exertions in the League Cup against Premier League Champions elect Manchester City. However, they have only lost three times away all season in the league, and Heckingbottom is well aware of their qualities.
The straight talking Yorkshireman says he has learnt from Saturday’s Sheffield defeat and has since had a week to work with his new team.
Sunday, he claims, will be a spectacle. Paul Heckingbottom on Sunday’s game against the Robins:
“It’s about us imposing ourselves on the game… The fans who turn up on Sunday and watch will be in for a treat.”
Perhaps he has learnt that without Saiz, Pablo Hernandez must start. His introduction in the second half against the Blades was the creative spark we were missing.
Impose ourselves on the game we must, and this must be done by dominating the midfield. O’Kane and Vieira are off form of late, so I’d go with a defensive midfield duo of Forshaw and Phillips with Hernandez and Alioski further forward. De Bock and Dallas should start as Fullbacks with Pennington and Jansson as the default Centreback pairing.
If fit, I’d like to see the pace and agility of Ekuban pair up with marmite Lasogga up top. However, our James Mahoney has picked an alternative starting 11 which includes Anita and Sacko: see his line up here.
Bristol City
The Robins have been allocated 650 tickets for this game, but despite their great season to date, they may not sell out. This is because their fans feel that at £42 per ticket, the cost is too high.
They have a long way to travel and feel the cost of that, plus the price of the tickets for a televised game is a “rip off.” I’m inclined to agree but… welcome to our world, Robins fans. There are dedicated Whites fans who are displaced across the country that suffer this week in, week out.
The South West Supporters Club in Newquay face a hefty bill for showing their support Sunday (well done, lads and lasses). All Leeds United aways are classed as Category A games, and prices are hiked accordingly. We’ve suffered this a long time.
On the pitch, City are currently in 6th place on 52 points, their own play-off hopes looking shakier of late… yet healthier than our own. They threw away a comfortable 3–0 lead at home to Sunderland, conceding three late goals, and lost away to Bolton by a solitary goal. They have won only once in their last ten games in all competitions.
Their top scorer is Bobby Reid on 14 in all comps followed by Famara Diedhiou on 9 with Aiden Flint on 8, which is no mean feat for a Centre Back.
City have been sensible in the January Transfer window, bringing in young midfielder Liam Walsh on a perm from Everton. Also from Merseyside comes in Ryan Kent on loan from Liverpool and from further afield the striker Lois Diony of St. Etienne.
They’ve won 14, lost 7, and drawn 10 in 31 games played. Goals against are 36 and goals for 45. 18 of those goals have been scored from set pieces, and only 8 outside the box. The centrebacks selected will have an important role on Sunday.
Key man
I’ve said the game must be won in midfield, and we know goals win games, yet we have to stop City scoring or all the industry in the centre of the park is wasted.
Considering the amount of goals scored by Bristol City from set pieces and the amount scored by centreback Aiden Flint, Felix Wiedwald needs to command his box better than he has done all season and pick out those crosses to nullify one of the Robins key attributes. Wiedwald is a key man for this fixture.
Injuries and suspension
Saiz, Berardi and Cooper are suspended. Ayling, Shaughnessy and Roberts are all injured. Roofe and Ekuban are expected to be available.
The Robins will be without Nathan Baker, Callum O’Dowd, Milan Durkic, Jens Hegeler, Gary O’Neil and Matt Taylor (who faked that broken nose from Berardi earlier in the season).
Form
Leeds United: L | L | D | L | L
Bristol City: L | D | W | L | D
Head-to-head
From 15 games at Leeds, the Whites have won 10, Bristol 3 with 2 drawn.
WHAT
Leeds United vs. Bristol City
EFL Championship Fixture
#LEEBRC
WHERE
Elland Road, Leeds
Sky Football Channel, LUTV (overseas), BBC Radio Leeds, International Listings
WHEN
Sunday, 18 February 2018
4:30pm BT
WHO
Leeds United’s predicted starting XI
Weidwald, De Bock, Pennington, Jansson, Anita, Phillips, Forshaw, Alioski, Hernandez, Roofe, Lasogga
Bristol City’s predicted starting XI
Fielding, Brownhill, Flint, Wright, Bryan, Kent, Smith, pack, Paterson, Reid, Diedhiou
ODDS
Leeds 6/4
Draw 11/5
Bristol 19/10
PREDICTION
All the pundits are predicting goals in this game and, with it being our new Head Coach’s first game at home and players are playing for their jobs, I feel that we will edge it. The majority of those predicted goals should be going to Leeds. I don’t believe we will be free scoring, but I’d like to think Lasogga and Hernandez are capable of getting one each in this one. 2–1 Leeds.
