Leeds United sit second in the Championship table and are one of the frontrunners for automatic promotion to the Premier League this season. However, there is trepidation amongst their fans ahead of a trip to Stoke City on Boxing Day today. Leeds’ away record is a worry and Daniel Farke could be forced to make a few tough selection calls to solve his side’s away day woes at the bet365 Stadium.
The gap between the two sides is massive. While Leeds are eyeing automatic promotion to the top tier of English football, Stoke are just barely above the relegation zone and are pushing to move up to the relative security of midtable.
Leeds have scored the most number of goals while Stoke are one of the four teams to concede more than 100 shots in the Championship this season and they could have had a worse defensive record if not for their goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
On paper, Leeds should be hammering Stoke and walking away from the bet365 Stadium with three points in their bag, but the game is played on the pitch and not always according to the form book.
Leeds have won only three of their ten games on the road in the Championship this season and are waiting for their first win on Boxing Day since 2018.
The Yorkshire giants have also not beaten Stoke away from home since 2019 and have had a poor record at the bet365 Stadium over the years.
The trip to Stoke has become increasingly significant for Leeds as a result here would give them confidence for the two away games they would play in the next week.
Farke needs to get his selection spot on at the bet365 Stadium today and he has a few questions to answer before his eleven gets declared later in the evening.
Does the Leeds United manager decide to tinker amidst a gruelling schedule?
More than the form of the players, the gruelling schedule could dictate the team selection today at Stoke for Leeds.
The Whites will be in action just a few days later on Sunday when they will take on Derby County at Pride Park before hosting Blackburn at Elland Road just two days. Leeds will again be on the road on 4th January when they will take on Hull City.
Farke has no choice but to use his squad and the team could see a few changes today with the gruelling schedule in mind.
Ethan Ampadu returned to the Leeds starting eleven in their 4-0 win over Oxford United at Elland Road last weekend. However, he has just returned from a knee injury and he is unlikely to play all the games during the festive period.
But Farke is expected to keep him in the eleven for the tough trip to Stoke before a call is taken to give him rest against Derby at the weekend.
The Leeds boss will likely keep the back four unchanged for the Boxing Day game, which means Pascal Struijk will be on the bench today at the bet365 Stadium.
However, he will have to consider whether to bring in a change in the forward line, especially in the number 9 position.
Joel Piroe registered an assist against Oxford United but he has not scored a league goal in close to a month and only two of his seven Championship goals have come away from home.
Farke recently hinted that Patrick Bamford could get more opportunities and Mateo Joseph could also get another chance to start in the league.
The Whites are good enough to rewrite history against Stoke
Leeds will be battling several historical factors when they take on Stoke today and it is one of those games that they should be winning but it is not a given.
The Whites’ away record this season is poor and while they have a bad record in Boxing Day games since 2018, Stoke have a solid record on this day.
However, Leeds have the better players and if they play according to their level, they should be handsomely beating Stoke at the bet365 Stadium today.
It is also a litmus test for Leeds as they are one of the promotion contenders who need to do serious work to improve their record away from home this season.
Leeds must ensure that they get all three points and prove that they are the odds-on favourites to play in the Premier League next season.
