Daniel Farke to reward Lucas Perri in six changes – Leeds predicted starting XI vs Aston Villa
Daniel Farke will likely make six changes to his starting line-up when Leeds United travel to face Aston Villa on Saturday.
Leeds squeezed past Birmingham City on penalties in the FA Cup on 15 January, with several changes expected after an underwhelming performance at St Andrew’s.
In recent weeks, the Whites have put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone, as they currently sit 15th in the table and six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham.
While Elland Road has become a fortress, Leeds are still looking for their first big scalp away from home this season, and they have the perfect chance to do that against Unai Emery’s side.
Aston Villa have shown their vulnerability at home in recent weeks, and Farke looks set to reward Lucas Perri as Leeds attempt to secure a first win at Villa Park since October 2020.
Lucas Perri to keep his place in goal, Daniel Farke makes six changes
The Brazilian was replaced by Karl Darlow as the first-choice goalkeeper in January after making a series of costly mistakes.
Since arriving from Lyon for £13.9million in the summer, Perri hasn’t adapted well to the top flight, and there have been huge concerns over his performance levels.
However, he was phenomenal against Birmingham in the FA Cup, producing several key saves and denying Tommy Doyle’s spot-kick in the penalty shootout.
| Stat | Perri |
| Saves | 4 |
| Save percentage | 80% |
| Penalty shootout saves | 1 |
| Touches | 57 |
According to Sofascore, the 28-year-old has a save percentage of 56.7 per cent, and although that is a very low figure, he should be given the chance to improve it on Saturday.
As for the other changes, Willy Gnonto, Noah Okafor and Facundo Buonanotte will all drop out for Jayden Bogle, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Brenden Aaronson.
Sean Longstaff and Ao Tanaka would also come out of the midfield for Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, while Joe Rodon is expected to replace Sebastiaan Bornauw.
Gruev has emerged as one of Leeds’ standout players this season, and he has quickly seized the opportunity to play alongside Ethan Ampadu.
Anton Stach and Pascal Struijk are still recovering from injury, but may return to the bench.
Ilia Gruev set to continue starring role for Leeds
After producing an excellent display in the 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on 6 February, Gruev’s importance to the side was made abundantly clear.
Although the Bulgarian international was initially seen as a squad player, his performances have left Farke with no choice but to start him.
Playing on the left side of central midfield, his passing range across the pitch has been phenomenal.
No other player in the Leeds squad is better suited to fulfilling that role, and fans will be excited to see how he dictates the tempo of the match at Villa Park.
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