Another game and one less injury for Marcelo Bielsa to deal with as Liam Cooper comes back into contention for Leeds United.
Last week’s win over Aston Villa was so impressive and overwhelming there will be a major temptation to keep it as it is, even with several players out of position.
Unusually for Bielsa, he was coy in his pre-match press conference on what his entire XI would be for Monday night against Leicester City, not just the odd decision here and there.
It may be because he was saying that more than 72 hours before kick-off, or it may be because he genuinely has an open mind for what he might do.
Assuming Cooper really is good to go, you surely expect him to come back in as the captain. That one decision releases Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas to their regular slots on the flanks.
In that case, Ezgjan Alioski would drop out of line-up. The other decision to be made is on Pascal Struijk.
In the wider world, a 21st-minute hooking in a previous game is all but a death knell for a player’s chances in the next line-up.
Bielsa is different, though, and the circumstances were very unique. He and the team have not lost faith in the Dutchman. He remains the best alternative to Kalvin Phillips in the holding role.
Jamie Shackleton did turn heads from the bench last Friday, but his inclusion forces Mateusz Klich back into the Phillips role and that just doesn’t sit right.
Shackleton’s energy makes him a great impact sub off the bench. The rest of the tea, surely, picks itself. Raphinha will have to keep waiting.
Predicted line-up: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Dallas; Struijk; Costa, Klich, Rodrigo, Harrison; Bamford.
