Leeds United vs Wolves – Preview, Lineups, Key Men And Score Prediction
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Fixture: Leeds United vs Wolves
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 18th April, 15:00 UK time
Leeds United play host to Wolves this afternoon in a clash which might turn out to be a defining week in their season, bouncing, having secured a first win at the den of their bitter rivals Manchester United, at Old Trafford, in the Premier League, with victory also happening to come 45 long years after their previous league win at the ground.
The Whites already enjoy a three-to-six-point advantage over Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur and will have a chance to extend their lead by a further three points and crank up the pressure by a further notch, with Leeds scheduled to kick-off the earliest amongst the relegation threatened sides.
A win might also prod Daniel Farke into, whisper it quietly, pondering rotation against Bournemouth midweek, with an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea coming up next weekend. It is not such a sacrilegious thought if taking into account Chelsea’s poor form and consider the fact that Leeds have not appeared in a final since the heady days of Don Revie.
A further win against Manchester City or Southampton will take the Whites back to Europe for the first time since the 2002/03 season when Leeds narrowly avoided relegation. Those European appearances came off the back of youthful and attacking football but also back-breaking financial burden, which ultimately banished the Whites to the wilderness and the third tier for the first time in their history, leaving them in a slough of despond for the best part of two decades, but European qualification now will come with a sense of Leeds being on the ascendancy and with that, the fans’ catharsis will be complete, following the repurchase of Elland Road, the family silver that had to be sold to meet the debt accumulated in pursuit of Europe, a couple of years ago.
While Farke might keep in consideration the value of not denting Wolves’ confidence too much given that they play Spurs next, he will not give that thought too much weight as he will be more wary of the threat they possess, keeping in mind the impressive results they have picked up of late.
Farke though is showing huge confidence in his players, having talked up Noah Okafor’s ‘quite remarkable’ ability in the final third on the back of the Old Trafford win, while hailing Jaka Bijol for showing real leadership qualities.
Wolves have little to play for other than pride and they could have their relegation confirmed by the end of the weekend depending upon other results. Rob Edwards, who has the lowest win percentage of all Premier League managers, might see a finish above Burnley as just rewards for his efforts since appointment and pride can then become a strong driving force.
Despite Farke hinting at positive surprises, Anton Stach, Joe Rodon and Daniel James are likely to remain out having not attended team training. Yerson Mosquera will serve a two-game ban beginning with the Leeds fixture after picking up his tenth Premier League booking at West Ham, while Matt Doherty is doubtful.
Peter Ridsdale, gambling on qualifying for Champions League football season-over-season, tried to justify his profligate spending as a price to pay for ‘living the dream’, but it looks increasingly so that Leeds are about to reap their rewards for the patient and prudent methods of late. In years and decades to come, Leeds fans might come to see the week of football beginning with Wolves as the bedrock upon which further success was built, and from where they achieved a quantum leap on their trajectory, vaulting back to the big league.
Predicted Lineups
Recent Form (league)
Leeds United: WDDLL
Wolves: LDWWL
Key Men
Leeds United
Noah Okafor has scored four goals in his last four Premier League games, two thirds of his entire tally for the season. Okafor has a chance to become the highest-scoring Swiss player in a Premier League season, with only two, Xherdan Shaqiri in 2017/18 with eight, and Granit Xhaka in 2022/23 with seven, ahead of him.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was praised for his work rate against Manchester United and the forward will want to highlight every facet of his game as neither he nor Dominic Solanke did enough during the recent internationals for Thomas Tuchel to decidedly pick one over the other as Harry Kane’s understudy.
Gabriel Gudmundsson was a bright spark at Old Trafford and his tussle with Jackson Tchatchoua, who has registered the two fastest sprints of the season in the division, will be an interesting subplot.
Wolves
Ladislav Krejci said that the number of goals they conceded against West Ham was ‘unacceptable’ and apologised ‘to the fans, not just for this game’. Krejci will want to repeat the message, this time through his actions.
Andre was last called up by Brazil for the fixture against Japan last year. If the World Cup is not motivation enough, playing for a transfer should prove to provide the added push as he turns 25 in July, and a season in the second tier would not be ideal at his age.
Joao Gomes finds himself in similar circumstances to compatriot Andre, with his last call-up coming against Japan too. Gomes, a few months older than Andre, has already been the subject of interest from big clubs and will want to make a convincing case for any potential buyer.
Match Prediction
Leeds fans might be forgiven for getting ahead of themselves, dreaming of the FA Cup semi-final and final, running through permutations and combinations for summer transfers, or even fantasising about European trips next season, but there is still work yet to be done.
Farke for one, will want to set a couple of records, unbefitting an established club, straight. Leeds are yet to register back-to-back Premier League wins for this season, being the only club yet to do so, and Farke will know that the Wolves game is a gift-wrapped opportunity to do so, with a win making his side’s Premier League future, for now and the future, much rosier.
Leeds have also failed to score in four of their last five Premier League games at Elland Road, including the last three in a row. The only time the Whites have gone four in a row without a home league goal was in 1982 in the top-flight, and Farke will understand the benefits of reinforcing Elland Road as a fortress, again for the immediate and the later.
A couple of other records bode well for Leeds though, as they have won nine of their last 12 Premier League home games against teams starting the day bottom of the table, and losing only once to Bolton Wanderers in 2002.
Edwards is the only manager to see his sides, who have let in 118 goals in 59 games, concede at least two plus goals per game and fans can expect the ratio to be maintained, especially if Farke chooses to begin on the front foot.
Inside Futbol Score Prediction
Leeds United 2-0 Wolves
Where To Watch?
Leeds United vs Wolves, which kicks off at 15:00 UK time, will not be broadcast live in the UK but the fixture can be followed via audio commentary on either clubs’ respective website.
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