Leeds United vs. Middlesborough preview: Visual spectacle promised for Elland Road grudge match
League football is back after the international break as Garry Monk returns to Elland Road with his Middlesbrough team.
Thomas Christiansen will be fighting to save his Leeds United career on Sunday in what has been billed a ‘grudge’ match by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Andrea Radrizzani has done his utmost to repair damage caused by a succession of incompetent owners in the relationship between fans and the club often swaying to public opinion. Right now the boo boys are growing in numbers, calling for the managers head.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough are on form whilst Leeds, well, they are not, and this game will be tough. Another tough fixture awaits three days later against Wolves. Poor results in these two games and the glass half empty contingent will see it as a time to act, and Radz may be swayed to do what he thinks the fans want and swing the axe, despite assurances recently of this being a long-term project.
Sunday is billed a grudge match as hardline Leeds supporters have labelled Middlesbrough manager Garry Monk a snake, switching Elland Road for the Riverside in the summer. Add to that the usual rivalry between the clubs’ fans and the atmosphere could be tense.
32,000+ will be there for this one and, considering our form and it being a Sunday lunch-time televised game, that figure is outstanding.
Off the pitch, the fans have been promised a visual spectacle. Fans are invited to take part in creating large mosaics in the East and West stands whilst flags will be distributed to occupants of seats in the North and South Stands.
Leeds fans are, shall we say, an innovative bunch and what they will do with the mosaics and flag… well, we’ll have to wait and see.
For me, it’s a visual spectacle on the pitch I want to see. TC has been working the squad hard during the international break to put an end to the losing streak, focusing in particular on the Boro game.
There is talent in our squad, but the game plan has become predictable and the main weakness is well… weakness. It seems that in attracting talent we have forfeited fight and determination. There is a lack of guile and leadership and when ‘Plan A’ doesn’t work, ‘Plan B’ is to bring on a young player who in many of the fans eyes is not ready.
It’s for these reasons TC has come under fire, and he knows it. One thing he vowed to work on during the break was mentality.
TC Post Brenford: “We’ll work hard to come back,” and “Now we need to work the mentality.”
For a derby / grudge match fight, determination and leadership are exactly what is required.
In Berardi, Phillips, Jansson and Dallas, we do have those committed professionals at Leeds. It’s a shame that Dallas is needed more than ever at a time when he has just played two gruelling World Cup qualifiers for his country (one of which he left the ground on crutches). Hopefully he will be available Sunday as that quartet, for me, should be in the line up against Boro.
A question mark now hangs over Lonergan after his howler against Brentford. However, I’m of the opinion that he remains the most commanding of our 2 keepers and should start. Ayling, although off form lately, is a key player and the break will have done him good, so he’s another who should start. It’s just a question of formation for who else will be around the centre circle at kick off.
4–2–3–1 has not been working with the players we have, and I feel Saiz doesn’t have too many options to release to. Lasogga doesn’t have the pace to run onto the through balls and so a formation should be sought to allow Ekuban to support Lasogga and Saiz. From his early season cameo, Caleb looks far more mobile than the big German, whilst Roofe hasn’t inspired me of late.
This fixture is lined up to be an enthralling encounter, and as the international break has seemed like an eternity, I for one wish the kick off was right now. It’s a chance for us to get back to winning ways, send the “Smoggies” home smarting, and hopefully we will turn the form table around.
If so, it will be the Monk (who has spent £45m) worried about his job.
What we know about Boro
Relegated from the English Premiership, they will receive £47m in parachute payments. They have promptly spent much of that on players such as former White Johnny Howson (undisclosed), Britt Assombalonga (£15m), Martin Braithwaite (£9m), Ashley Fletcher (£6.5m) and Darren Randolph (£5m).
Their biggest name off loaded was Jordan Rhodes (Undisclosed).
Top scorer is Assombalonga with 8. At the other end, Darren Randolph has kept 7 clean sheets.
Losses total just 4, to Wolves and Forest (away) and Norwich and Cardiff (home). Their biggest winning margin is two clear goals in a 3–1 win against Hull City.
They now sit 5th in the table on 23 points and 3 points and 5 places above United.
Injuries and Suspensions
Cooper, Alioski and Jansson all returned from international duty unscathed. It’s unknown if Dallas may have been forced to play injured in Northern Ireland’s final qualifier and could be a doubt. Ekuban is back in training and should feature. Borthwick-Jackson remains sidelined.
For Boro, the ever-present Cyrus Christie is set to serve a suspension for this one. No new injury news has been reported from the Riverside outfit.
Form
Leeds: L | W | L | L | L
Middlesbrough: D | L | W | W | W
Head to Head
From 45 games at Leeds the Whites have won 22, Boro 11 and 12 games drawn
WHAT
Leeds United vs. Middlesbrough FC
EFL Championship Fixture
#LEEMID
WHERE
Elland Road, Leeds
Sky Sports Football, BBC Radio Leeds, LUTV, ESPN3
WHEN
Sunday, 19 November 2017
1:15pm BT
WHO
Leeds United’s predicted starting XI
Lonergan, Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Berardi, Phillips, O’Kane, Dallas, Saiz, Hernandez, Lasogga
Middlesbrough’s predicted starting XI
Randolph, Roberts, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter, Howson, Downing, Braithwaite, Tavernier, Assombalonga
ODDS
Leeds 2/1
Draw 21/10
Middlesbrough 6/4
PREDICTION
I am concerned that Monk’s Middlesbrough could out muscle us in midfield and their pace could be the undoing of our defence. However, these are faults known as much by TC as by any of our rivals. He has been working the team hard… and Boro are not as good as they think they are. I’ll take 2–1 on a Leeds win.
