Daniel Farke ‘cannot afford to repeat Ilia Gruev mistake’ v Millwall
Daniel Farke will be forced into a tough selection decision when Leeds take on Millwall on Wednesday.
The Whites need a victory to stay at the Championship summit and to ward off third-placed Burnley, who are just two points behind them after the 1-0 loss to Portsmouth (9 March).
The German cannot afford to take anything other than three points on 12 March with the race for automatic promotion being as close as it is.
Farke cannot repeat Ilia Gruev error v Millwall
Ilia Gruev has endured a tough time since returning from injury, his form has been extremely inconsistent as is expected after a spell on the sidelines.
Farke must start Joe Rothwell against the Lions, as the Bournemouth loanee is in much better form than the Bulgarian.
In the loss to the Fratton Park outfit, Gruev was hooked after 79 minutes after creating zero chances, recording zero accurate crosses from the two that he attempted and failing to complete the only dribble that he attempted. [Fotmob]
| Stats | Gruev v Portsmouth |
| Chances created | 0 |
| Ground duels | 0/2 (0%) |
| Aerial duels | 3/8 (38%) |
Defensively, he did make five clearances and two interceptions and two recoveries but he was woeful when it came to duels, winning none of the two he attempted on the ground and just three of the eight he contested in the air, for a 38 per cent success rate.
Meanwhile, Rothwell created the most chances in the contest with two, recorded two out of three successful cross, for a 67 per cent completion and made one clearances in a 22 minute cameo.
Farke has easy decision for Millwall clash
The decision on who to start next to the brilliant Ao Tanaka should be an easy one for Farke, as Rothwell was much more dangerous in the small amount of time that he featured.
Leeds are solid at the back with the Japan star operating in front of a defence that features Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon, a formidable duo.
Their problem in the last two matches has been a lack of goals, with the 1-1 draw against West Brom and the 1-0 defeat to John Mousinho’s side reducing their comfortable margin at the top to a very shaky one.
Rothwell needs to start, the Whites are much more potent at the moment when the 30-year-old is on the pitch.