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Joe Mewis

Predicted Leeds United XI as formation change beckons for Sheffield United clash

It's back to Premier League action for Leeds United on Saturday, when they welcome a familiar face back to Elland Road.

Paul Heckingbottom last month took over as Sheffield United's caretaker boss following the departure of Chris Wilder and will return to LS11 for the first time since his 16-match spell in charge of the club ended in 2018.

The former Whites boss faces the unenviable task of taking charge of a side that sit rock bottom of the Premier League and a whopping 25 points behind Leeds in the table.

Marcelo Bielsa's men have all-but assured their place in next season's Premier League and will look to kick off their run-in with a win.

The current Whites head coach is able to welcome his skipper Liam Cooper back after illness, but there is uncertainty over Mateusz Klich, who is currently undergoing the Covid-19 protocol following his positive test while on Poland duty.

So how are we expecting Leeds to line up on Saturday afternoon?

With the Blades set to operate with two up front, it means a switch to three at the back for Leeds.

Following Diego Llorente and Robin Koch's recent return to fitness, Cooper's availability and the form of Pascal Struijk, this is now a position of strength for Leeds, meaning someone will have to miss out.

In this case, Robin Koch may have to bide his time to force his way back into the side, with Bielsa bringing his skipper back and rewarding Llorente and Struijk for their good performances in Leeds' last two matches.

Cooper is likely to replace Alioski, as the change in formation should see Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas move into the wing-back roles, while Kalvin Phillips keeps his place at the base of the midfield.

Bielsa indicated that Tyler Roberts has served his time following Wales' decision to send him home early after breaking team protocol, so with Rodrigo still working his way back to fitness, he is likely to start behind Patrick Bamford. Like Leeds' leading scorer, Raphinha and Jack Harrison have both had time to recuperate over the past fortnight, so should be raring to go against the Blades.

Predicted Leeds United XI: Meslier; Llorente, Cooper, Struijk; Ayling, Phillips, Dallas; Roberts; Raphinha, Bamford, Harrison

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