Leeds United and Burnley go head-to-head for the first time since January 2022 at Elland Road on Saturday.
The two sides have not met since both were still in the Premier League and battling against one another for 17th place.
Since then, there has been all sorts of change on both sides of the Pennines. Marcelo Bielsa and Sean Dyche were both still in charge, and it could be that Junior Firpo is the only remaining starting outfielder across either team.
What’s more, Burnley have been relegated twice either side of a Championship title winning campaign in the two-and-a-half years that have followed that meeting.
Leeds, meanwhile, followed their relegation in 2023 with a heart-breaking play-off final defeat to Southampton in May, and clearly both sides will be in the reckoning for promotion again.
Joe Gelhardt Leeds’ man of the moment
Though Firpo was the only outfield starter from that early January meeting in 2022, Joe Gelhardt and Dan James did also come off the bench that day.
In fact, both players actually combined to score Leeds’ all important third goal that sealed the three points in stoppage time.
Gelhardt was brought onto replace Tyler Roberts in attack just before the hour mark, and as was customary that season, his impact was superb.
It was his inch perfect 92nd minute cross that picked out the head of James to put Leeds 3-1 ahead and end a run of three consecutive defeats.
Gelhardt really was one of the shining lights of a tough season for Leeds that year, scoring off the bench against Chelsea and Norwich City, as well as setting up Pascal Struijk’s vital equaliser in the penultimate game with Brighton.
Gelhardt downfall shown by likely Leeds omission
Unfortunately for Gelhardt, he simply has not been able to live up to the promise shown in that breakthrough campaign at Leeds.
Gelhardt has not started a single league match in 13 months and has also had his fair share of injury issues.
A loan spell was undoubtedly what Gelhardt needed in the summer but as it is, he is still at Elland Road and a long way down the pecking order.
With both James and Patrick Bamford likely to be fit, it is highly likely he will be out of the squad completely for this weekend’s meeting with Burnley.
James, Bamford, Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph, Largie Ramazani, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto and Manor Solomon are all ahead of him in the pecking order for a place in Leeds’ front four.
It is a massive shame how much he has fallen since Leeds’ last meeting with the Clarets.
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