Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has hinted towards a change in his team setup for the Newcastle United clash as he ponders over his selection ahead of the big game at Elland Road this weekend.
The Whites started the season with a bang when they beat Everton at Elland Road in their opening Premier League game since their return to the top flight of English football. However, results since then have drained some of the confidence around the club.
Farke’s men were given a reality check just days later when they were hammered 5-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, and his players produced a listless performance against Sheffield Wednesday to crash out of the EFL Cup at Hillsborough earlier in the week.
The Leeds manager has a few headaches in terms of team selection ahead of Newcastle’s visit to Elland Road this weekend as injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka have tied his hands for the big game.
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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke
With Tanaka and Ampadu out for the game, Farke is expected to play Ilia Gruev and Sean Longstaff alongside Anton Stach in the midfield three against Newcastle.
Longstaff will have a chance to prove Newcastle wrong early in his Leeds career, but Farke conceded that the selection might not be as straightforward as everyone is expecting.
The Leeds manager admitted that he is thin on midfield options, and the selection for the Newcastle game is proving to be tricky at this stage.
However, he hinted that he could set his team up differently to compensate for the loss of Tanaka and Ampadu in the middle of the park.
“A bit tricky. It’s a bit thin, but we will find some solutions. Might set up differently”, Farke said in a press conference.
“I won’t say too much, but we still have options.”
Leeds will hope to get something against a Newcastle team who are also battling several injuries and are still missing Alexander Isak.
