Leeds United v Derby County preview: Team news, head-to-head, prediction
Daniel Farke will be eager to return to winning ways with Leeds United back in Championship action hosting Derby County.
The Whites fell from the Championship summit with a 1-0 loss against Blackburn Rovers last weekend courtesy of a Todd Cantwell penalty, and will be hoping to get back on track at Elland Road on Saturday [7 December].
Preview
While Leeds can hardly be expected to maintain a perfect record from now until the end of the campaign, the loss against Blackburn has undoubtedly dampened the title charge.
Despite establishing himself as a regular for Farke this year, Joel Piroe proved once again at Ewood Park he cannot be relied on to provide the goals for the Whites consistently and is unlikely to lead the line beyond the current campaign unless he proves his doubters wrong.
However, Leeds are comfortably on track to finish within the playoff spots, but after the playoff final defeat to Southampton last term, leaving another season to chance would be a catastrophic failure for Farke.
Derby boss Paul Warne has offered his support to the German, stating no other manager could achieve what he is doing at Elland Road this term, but risking another year in the second tier is beyond comprehension in West Yorkshire.
The Rams are out of form heading into the contest, having won only once in their last five Championship outings – the 15th-placed side will have their work cut out for them heading to Elland Road looking for a result.
Form Guide [Championship]
Leeds United: LWWWL
Derby County: LLDDW
Head-to-Head [all competitions]
Derby County 1-3 Leeds United [19 July, 2020]
Leeds United 1-1 Derby County [21 September, 2019]
Leeds United 2-4 Derby County [15 May, 2019]
Derby County 0-1 Leeds United [11 May, 2019]
Leeds United 2-0 Derby County [11 January, 2019]
Team News for Leeds United v Derby County
The Whites have received a welcome boost heading into the clash with the news Ethan Ampadu has returned to first-team training following his lengthy injury absence.
A starting berth on the weekend may be too ambitious for the Welshman, but the supporters could see the long-awaited return of the captain in the dugout.
Ilia Gruev is still missing for Leeds as he rehabilitates from a long-term meniscus injury.
Ebou Adams will serve his one-match suspension for Derby on the weekend alongside Callum Elder, who also serves a suspension.
Warne will also be without Ryan Nyambe and David Ozoh for the weekend, with forward Tawanda Chirewa also doubtful to feature for the Rams.
Predicted lineups for Leeds United v Derby County
Leeds United: Meslier, Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo, Tanaka, Rothwell, James, Aaronson, Gnonto, Piroe
Derby County: Zetterstrom, Wilson, Cashin, Nelson, Forsyth, Goudmijn, Thompson, Osborn, Harness, Mendez-Laing, Yates
Where to watch Leeds v Derby?
The match at Elland Road kicks off at 12:30pm GMT on 5 December and will be available live on Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports + and the Sky Go and NOW TV apps.
Alternatively, supporters can also listen to commentary on BBC Radio Leeds.
Prediction: Leeds United 3-0 Derby County
How often does this Leeds side drop points in back-to-back fixtures?
Farke should bounce back from the Blackburn defeat with a resounding victory at Elland Road against a depleted Derby side.
The Whites have too much attacking talent not to take to the pitch on Saturday and remind the Championship why the West Yorkshire outfit remains one of the favourites to lift the league title at the end of the season.
While the second tier is known to produce surprises at any given moment, this contest is heading only one way – with three points for Leeds.
In other Leeds news, Daniel Farke makes a new January transfer admission at the Whites.
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