Leeds United vs. Port Vale preview: The Carabao Cup kicks off
The first competitive fixture at the beloved and re-owned Elland Road is the first round of the Carabao Cup versus Port Vale on Wednesday night.
Wednesday evening sees the first competitive home game of the 2017/18 season, as Leeds United face Port Vale in the League Cup… EFL Cup… the Carabao Cup. Port Vale’s last visit to Leeds was in a League One fixture back in December 2007, a game in which the Whites took the honours 3–0.
The stakes are different this time around as the cup serves as a very early distraction for Leeds from the league. But this, of course, will be the first competitive match at Elland Road since the re-purchase of the ground.
Manager Thomas Christiansen will want another win for himself and the fans, yet he’s sure to make a host of changes and use the fixture to test other players in his squad. A different line up is expected to that which started at Bolton on Sunday.
I expect to see Robert Green get his first start of 2017/18, while Liam Cooper will hope to retain the armband as Conor Shaughnessy may again be deployed to partner Sunday’s skipper. This will also provide an opportunity to give game time to Cameron Borthwick-Jackson — the newly arrived loanee left back from Manchester, should Christiansen choose to do so.
There may be opportunities in midfield for those who didn’t start Sunday, as the Cup runs may well become more about increasing competition in the league side than progression.
Wait, what is the Carabao Cup?
The Carabao Cup is the latest in a merry-go-round of lead sponsors for the League Cup. It was known last season as the EFL Cup.
“Carabao” are a Thai-based sports energy drink manufacturer who have signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the EFL worth £18m.
What we know about Port Vale
The League Two side are managed by former Leeds United man Michael Brown. Other familiar faces traveling with the Valiants include Danny Pugh, who had two stints with United.
Michael Tonge, a mainstay in the Leeds midfield a few seasons back is now a member of the Staffordshire club as well, scoring in Vale’s first game against Crawley Town, who are managed by none other than Leeds hero-turned-villain, Harry Kewell.
And of course, Tyler Denton last week agreed a season-long loan deal to Port Vale. Denton however will not feature against his parent club.
Key battle
I would expect that Vale will play defence-first against a superior Leeds United side, and we could well face ten defenders. Wednesday’s fixture could see a first start handed to new signing Caleb Ekuban. Managers often build teams that mirror their own playing styles too, so against a Michael Brown team, Ekuban could well be in for a physical evening.
Injury latest
Fresh off the back of signing a three-year contract extension, Gaetano Berardi’s dislocated shoulder could put the Swiss out for up to four weeks, though no official word has yet been given.
Everton loanee Matthew Pennington was also forced off of United’s season-opener at the Macron, and short of an official statement regarding the significance of the injury, early rumours suggest the young centre-half could be out of action for up to six weeks.
Head-to-Head
There have been 12 previous meetings at Elland Road between the two sides with Leeds being victorious in eight of those. Port Vale have won once, with the other three games ending in a draw.
Form
At this stage of the season, form is of course hard to come by, however both Leeds and Port Vale come into this fixture off the back of wins on opening day.
Leeds dispatched Bolton Wanderers 3–2, while Port Vale ran out comfortable 3–1 winners over Crawley Town.
Second round draw
The draw for the second round will take place on Thursday, 10 August at 10pm.
WHAT
Leeds United vs. Port Vale
First round, Northern Section, Carabao Cup
WHERE
Elland Road, Leeds
LUTV, BBC Radio Leeds, Talk Sport 2, ESPN3
WHEN
Wednesday, August 9th, 2017
7:45 pm BT
WHO
Leeds United’s predicted starting XI
Green, Borthwick-Jackson, Shaughnessy, Cooper, Anita, Bridcutt, Vieira, Saiz, Klich, Dallas, Ekuban
Port Vale predicted starting XI
Lainton, Wilson, Kay, Smith, Gunning, Turner, Pugh, Tonge, Myers-Harness, Pope, de Freitas
ODDS
Leeds 4/9
Draw 7/2
Port Vale 6/1
PREDICTION
There is every chance Port Vale will try to ‘park the bus’. With a potentially untried and untested attack, that could make for a long night. However, with potential places up for grabs, those selected should be hungry and have enough ammo. 2–0 Leeds.
