Here is your Leeds United morning digest for Friday, November 27.
Old Trafford visit moved as December fixture changes announced
It has been more than 16 years since the last Premier League clash between Leeds and old rivals Manchester United, and fans will have to wait one more day for the December fixture.
The game, which will be held at Old Trafford, will now take place on Sunday, December 20. It’s a 16:30 kick-off and it will be shown live on Sky Sports.
The trip to face Chelsea, coached by Frank Lampard, has also been moved to later than originally scheduled – it will now take place under the Stamford Bridge floodlights at 20:00 on Saturday, December 5.
The latest announcement also sees the upcoming matches against Newcastle, West Ham, Burnley, and West Brom confirmed for specific dates, times, and broadcasters.
Bielsa hails Ancelotti for ‘triumphing everywhere he’s been’
Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa has nothing but respect for Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, who he will lock horns with for the first time on Saturday.
The 61-year-old Italian has spent over two decades in management, with a storied career that’s seen him win the Champions League on three occasions as well as league titles in England, Italy, France, and Germany.
“I have respect and admiration for Ancelotti,” Bielsa told reporters. “First of all, because he has been wanted by all the best teams in the world. He has been chosen by some of the most powerful institutions in football, which shows how good he is.
“The second thing is he has triumphed everywhere he has been.
“The third thing is he is a manager well respected by the players as well as his other colleagues. The last thing is his way of playing has never been criticised. His way of playing is always an unselfish one and it is always valuable. To have all of this in one manager is not very frequent.”
Here’s every word from Bielsa’s press conference ahead of Everton.
Everton suffer major injury blow
Lucas Digne will play no part for Everton when Leeds visit Goodison Park on Saturday.
The Merseyside club have announced the former Barcelona left-back has suffered an ankle injury that will require surgery, ruling him out of action for the coming weeks.
Digne has been one of Everton’s standout performers so far this season, having registered four assists.
It remains to be seen how Ancelotti will have his side line up in the absence of Digne.
Everton shaped up in a 3-4-3 formation last week against Fulham, meaning Alex Iwobi could potentially slot in as a wing-back while Michael Keane plays on the left side of a back three.
