Leeds United host Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on Saturday 7 November, kick-off 12:30pm, and Daniel Farke is expected to bring Anton Stach back into midfield in a 3-4-2-1, with late fitness checks on Gabriel Gudmundsson and James Justin before he names his side.
Leeds are 12th in the Premier League on 11 points from nine games, one point and three places behind Spurs, and they go into the last game before the international break without a win in five league matches. The latest of those was Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth, where Bournemouth’s press punished goalkeeper James Trafford and Leeds managed an expected goals figure of just 0.67. Farke kept a back three on the south coast and the shape is expected to stay, as it did in the side he named for the Bournemouth trip. Only the personnel changes.
The fitness checks
Two of Farke’s back five finished the Bournemouth game in discomfort. Gudmundsson limped off just after the hour after a challenge late in the first half, and Justin took painkillers during the second half to get through the game. Both are doubts for Saturday, and Farke’s decision may only come after the final training session. If either drops out, Jaka Bijol is the spare centre-back and Melvin Bard is the cover on the left.
Further forward, Noah Okafor missed the Bournemouth defeat with an abductor problem and has been assessed this week. The realistic target for him is a place on the bench rather than a start. Joe Rodon has returned to training after a hamstring injury and is in contention for the matchday squad, while Mateo Joseph remains a long-term absentee with a cruciate ligament injury.
Stach returns to the middle
The one likely change is in midfield. Stach was only fit enough for the bench at Bournemouth, but a full week of training puts him back in line to start alongside Ethan Ampadu. That pairing gives Leeds more height at set pieces and a stronger screen in front of the back three, which matters against a Spurs side built to play through the middle.
Ao Tanaka is the man who makes way. Tanaka started at Bournemouth and keeps the ball well, but Leeds were too easy to play through when they lost possession, and Stach’s positioning without the ball is the safer option for a game where Spurs expect long spells of possession. Ampadu, as captain, keeps the deeper role and drops between the centre-backs when Leeds build up.
James and Wilson keep their places
Farke’s clearest praise after Bournemouth was for his two wide forwards. Daniel James made his first start of the season and his 150th appearance for the club, and Harry Wilson started for the second game in a row after joining from Fulham as a free agent. Speaking after the game, Farke said: “They both played a really good first half. It reminded me of Dan James’ really good pre-season form, I liked it.”
Both are expected to keep their places behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Leeds have scored nine goals in nine league games, so the front three needs continuity more than it needs another rotation. James runs in behind and stretches a defence that steps up, Wilson comes inside onto his left foot, and Calvert-Lewin gives Leeds a direct option when the press forces them long. Brenden Aaronson is the alternative from the bench if Farke wants fresh legs late on, with Okafor another option if he’s passed fit.
The predicted XI
Farke is expected to keep the 3-4-2-1, with Stach for Tanaka the only change from the side that started at Bournemouth, subject to Gudmundsson and Justin passing their fitness checks.
Leeds United predicted XI (3-4-2-1)
What Tottenham will test
Spurs arrive on three straight league wins, and our predicted Tottenham XI for this game has Omar Marmoush up front with James Maddison behind him and Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel wide. That front four will pull Leeds’ back three apart if the wing-backs are caught high, so Bogle and Gudmundsson have to pick their moments to go forward rather than both advancing at once.
The midfield battle decides how much of that pressure Leeds face. If Stach and Ampadu can stop Sandro Tonali from setting the tempo, Leeds can turn the game into a contest of crosses and second balls, where Calvert-Lewin is a genuine outlet. If Tonali plays through them, Leeds will spend long spells defending their own box, as they did in the second half at Bournemouth.
Team sheets are confirmed about 75 minutes before kick-off on Saturday. A win would lift Leeds above Spurs in the table and send Farke’s side into the international break on 14 points.
The lineup in full
Leeds United (3-4-2-1): Trafford; Justin, Elvedi, Muharemovic; Bogle, Ampadu, Stach, Gudmundsson; Wilson, James; Calvert-Lewin.