Leeds United kick off their 2019-20 Championship campaign against Bristol City on Sunday and will hope to start the season on a positive note. Manager Marcelo Bielsa has stayed on for another year looking to carry on the good work he did last season.
The Whites haven’t made many signings; in fact, they haven’t spent any money on transfer fees, bringing in three players on loan, while selling a few players. But, they have retained almost the same squad from last year, minus the sale of defender Pontus Jansson.
Leeds will miss a few key players for the opening game of the season due to injuries and suspension, but Bielsa will still have a strong team that lines up against Bristol.
Kiko Casilla is set to be Leeds’ No. 1 for the season, despite reports linking him with a move back to Spain. With Bailey Peacock-Farrell sold to Burnley, Casilla will not have much competition for the goalkeeper’s slot.
Bielsa used a radical 3-3-1-3 formation in the last friendly against Cagliari, and the Argentine coach may continue with that formation. Gaetano Berardi is suspended for the first game of the season, so we could see Kalvin Phillips drop into defence and play alongside loan signing Ben White, and captain Liam Cooper.
Mateusz Klich could drop into Phillips’ defensive midfield role in the 3-3-1-3 set-up, with Phillips moving up and joining him in midfield when Leeds have possession of the ball. Barry Douglas and Stuart Dallas will most likely play in the left and right-sided midfield/wing-back positions. Luke Ayling is out due to injury and won’t be available for the first match of the season.
Pablo Hernández will play in the attacking midfield role, playing behind the striker. Hernandez had a good season last time around where he played in a wide right position but has played in the attacking midfield role in pre-season.
Leeds’ top scorer from last year Kemar Roofe, is out due to injury, which means that Patrick Bamford will start as the striker in the Leeds team against Bristol City. Two loan signings of the season – Helder Costa and Jack Harrison will provide the width against the Robins.
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