Leeds United’s solid start to the campaign could become an incredible one with the right result at Turf Moor against Burnley this weekend.
With Leeds United having beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers and drawn with Bournemouth with the same side, the chances were that Daniel Farke was going to go with similar for the Spurs game.
Leeds lost that day, but the lineup has been unchanged for four matches in succession now. Burnley presents the opportunity to make that five consecutive games, but it is also a fixture with more complications than that.
That’s because the Whites have a number of players on far away international duty. They also have others returning from injury as well. On top of that, they have lost two of the last four games with this same team. Will Farke now make alterations?
Leeds United team news and injuries ahead of Burnley
Farke is looking to end a dismal run against Burnley in his managerial career, having never scored a league goal against the Clarets for teams he has managed. That includes a 0-0 draw in this fixture last term and a 1-0 defeat at Elland Road.
Leeds and Burnley are backed to be relegated, although Opta deem Burnley favourites against Leeds for Saturday’s fixture. In 2024/25, they each achieved 100 points, but Leeds were statistically superior to Burnley last season.
A number of Leeds fans are confident Burnley will be relegated but it counts for very little this weekend. Lucas Perri is back in training for the Whites, while Dan James is out for the foreseeable, and Willy Gnonto’s situation is unknown.
On top of those considerations is the fact Ao Tanaka and Brenden Aaronson have had the most mileage on international duty. The latter has been starting on the right flank, but it is not a guarantee that he will train much with Leeds this week.
Predicted Leeds XI to take on Burnley on Saturday
Eight players pick themselves if fit. Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, and Gabriel Gudmundsson will remain in defence. However, there are two question marks in the back five.
Karl Darlow has had a difficult international break, conceding seven goals in the games against England and Belgium. Jaka Bijol has had an impressive time with Slovenia, keeping two clean sheets. Leeds fans want Bijol over Pascal Struijk.
How likely that is to happen is up for debate, but one area which has no debate attached to it is the midfield trio. Continuity can be vital and Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff, and Ethan Ampadu are settled there.
That leaves one more question mark in attack. How likely is Aaronson to play after a late game against Australia tonight/early into Wednesday morning? Perhaps Jack Harrison or Gnonto will be deemed fit and ready. We’ve gone with two changes.
Leeds XI vs Burnley: Lucas Perri; Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Gabriel Gudmundsson; Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff; Jack Harrison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor.
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