Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Leeds Live
Leeds Live
Sport
Joe Mewis & Beren Cross

Leeds United line-ups as Pablo Hernandez finally returns to the fore for Wolves

Leeds United face their first match of three in a nine-day stretch on Friday evening when they visit the West Midlands to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Marcelo Bielsa's side begin the weekend sitting 11th in the table, one place and two points ahead of their hosts, but will be without England midfielder Kalvin Phillips and record signing Rodrigo for the Molineux clash as they look to bounce back from last weekend's 4-2 defeat at Arsenal.

A win would see the Whites move back into the top half of the Premier League table, but as ever, Bielsa has a number of injury concerns to content with.

Here, our Leeds United reporters share their preferred starting line-ups...

Marcelo Bielsa discusses the team news ahead of Leeds United's trip to Wolves

Beren Cross

Diego Llorente is the only face to be added to the group which lost 4-2 down at Arsenal on Sunday, which limits most of the changes one might make.

Even with Llorente, it just does not feel sensible to be throwing him straight back into the XI because of the way his body has reacted to matches up to now.

Pascal Struijk would return to central defence, for me. Again, there were questions left unanswered at Arsenal and there is not enough forward thrust from him as a defensive midfielder.

Luke Ayling pushes out to right-back and Stuart Dallas drops into left-back to make space for Jamie Shackleton in the centre.

That means Ezgjan Alioski drops out of line-up and Mateusz Klich drops deeper as the Kalvin Phillips substitute.

Ezgjan Alioski would drop out in Beren Cross's team (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

The prospect of Adama Traore running at Alioski does not fill me with confidence based on the Macedonian’s struggles with talented wingers in the past.

Dallas excelled as Traore’s marker in the match at Elland Road and we know how reliable he has been in the past with talisman playing down that flank. Jarrod Bowen during his Hull City days springs to mind.

You will have worked out from all of this there is still a slot in central midfield which needs filling. Pablo Hernandez is still the man I want to see given another chance.

Wolves, we know, are a defensively diligent side and were happy to put men behind the ball, frustrating Leeds, at Elland Road.

As hosts, Nuno Espirito Santo may be keener to take the shackles off his side, but Hernandez has the ability to pick the lock if they are stacking their own box with defenders.

Beren’s XI: Meslier; Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Dallas; Klich; Raphinha, Shackleton, Hernandez, Harrison; Bamford.

Joe Mewis

Kalvin Phillips's continued absence from the side is a huge loss for the Friday night fixture, with the Arsenal game being the third time Leeds have shipped in four goals out of the six Premier League matches he has missed this term.

Sunday's performance does not perhaps provide a glowing reference for Pascal Struijk in that position, but Bielsa offered some interesting insight in Thursday's pre-Wolves press conference.

In a lengthy answer to a question about opponents' recent defensive set-ups, he spoke of Leeds' need to develop young players to supplement the work they do in the transfer market.

You have to either buy Premier League-standard players at a high price, or develop your own, and that is what he is trying to do with the likes of Struijk and Jamie Shackleton.

With that in mind, I'd include them both again. Leeds should soon find themselves virtually safe from the drop and the final third of the season and when opportunities arise to give younger players minutes, Bielsa is likely to take them.

What I would do here is put Shackleton in at right-back from the start, which will allow Stuart Dallas to give the midfield some more guile, while Struijk can get more time to develop in Phillips's usual role.

Aside from that, the team picks itself. Diego Llorente is available again, but it's hard not to want to be cautious after his wretched luck with injuries, while it sounds like Mateusz Klich should be at full speed.

Joe's XI: Meslier; Shackleton, Ayling, Cooper, Alioski; Struijk; Raphinha, Dallas, Klich, Harrison; Bamford

Now it’s your turn to have your say on how you think Leeds United should line up against Wolves on Friday night.

Choose your preferred starting Leeds XI by using the team selector above.

And don’t forget to share your starting lineup with us on our Twitter and Facebook channels or in the comments below.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.