Buoyed by a shock 3-2 win at West Ham United last weekend, Leeds United will play host to Newcastle United on Saturday knowing that another victory would significantly ease their relegation fears.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a dismal first half of the season, but have won two of their last three league games to climb to 15th, nine points clear of the drop zone.
Newcastle United, on the other hand, have continued to struggle under new manager Eddie Howe, who has failed to arrest their slide.
Despite being the richest club in the world following their takeover by a Saudi-led consortium, the Magpies are hot favourites to drop into the Championship.
They are currently in 19th spot, two points adrift of safety, having won just one of their last 22 games in all competitions.
🆚 #LUFC welcome Newcastle to Elland Road today, as we play our 2000th home league game! pic.twitter.com/QdF3AXin07
— Leeds United (@LUFC) January 22, 2022
The last meeting between these two sides ended in a 1-1 draw as Allan Saint-Maximin’s strike cancelled out Raphinha’s opener.
Leeds United vs Newcastle United – Team News
Leeds United
Diego Llorente is available once again after serving his suspension, but Adam Forshaw and Junior Firpo are unlikely to feature after sustaining injuries at West Ham.
Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Tyler Roberts, Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shakleton remain sidelined due to injury, but Patrick Bamford could return after missing the last six games.
Newcastle United
Matt Ritchie faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday’s trip as he continues to battle a knee problem. Jeff Hendrick and Dwight Gayle are pushing for a start, but Isaac Hayden, Federico Fernández and Callum Wilson remain sidelined.
Jamal Lewis has returned to training but is unlikely to be rushed back into action. Javier Manquillo is available once again after serving a ban.
🔟 v 🔟
Ahead of this weekend's trip to Elland Road, we've compared the stats of Raphinha and Allan Saint Maximin.👇#NUFC pic.twitter.com/tiH60abbda
— Newcastle United StatZone (@nufcsz) January 21, 2022
Leeds United vs Newcastle United – Predicted Lineups
Leeds United predicted lineup (4-5-1): Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Dallas; Koch; Raphinha, Bate, Klich, Harrison; James
Newcastle United predicted lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Manquillo; Longstaff, Shelvey, Joelinton; Fraser, Wood, Saint-Maximin
Leeds United vs Newcastle United – Key Players
Leeds United – Jack Harrison
Harrison almost single-handedly carried Leeds to a victory at West Ham. The English winger ran the Hammers ragged, scoring a hat-trick to secure a much-needed three points for his side. Harrison will relish the prospect of running at the Newcastle defence, which has conceded 43 goals this season — the second-worst record in the league.
Newcastle United – Allan Saint-Maximin
On his day, Saint-Maximin is one of the most electrifying Premier League wingers. He is rapid and has fantastic dribbling ability, but his lack of consistency has proven to be his Achilles heel. But he remains Newcastle’s best player and if they can get the ball to him often enough on Saturday, he could pose quite a threat to the Leeds backline.
Prediction: Leeds 2-1 Newcastle
