Seeking to snap a two-game winless run across all tournaments, Leeds United host Stoke City at their Elland Road headquarters in Tuesday's Championship showdown.
The Whites were forced to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town over the weekend, while the Potters sunk Middlesbrough 2-0 to breathe new life into their survival bid.
Match preview
© Reuters
Nine wins from nine Championship matches in 2024 was expected to become 10 from 10 for Leeds at the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday, as the promotion-chasing Whites clashed with a Huddersfield Town side teetering dangerously close to the relegation line, but their perfect second-tier streak since the turn of the year was finally broken.
A frenzied period of first-half injury time saw Michal Helik prod home the opener for Huddersfield before Jonathan Hogg was rightly given his marching orders for two bookable offences, and Leeds made their extra man count midway through the second half as Patrick Bamford swept home the leveller.
However, Leeds could not convert one point into three against the 10-man Terriers, leading to a palpable sense of disappointment at the full-time whistle, although Daniel Farke felt that a couple more officiating decisions could have gone his side's way as a foul-happy Huddersfield scrapped for a point.
With 11 games of the regular season left to play, automatic promotion is now out of Leeds' hands as they sit third in the Championship standings, two points worse off than Ipswich Town and five behind leaders Leicester City, and the impending international break will be a welcome sight for a team who have played eight times since the start of February.
Farke's men now return to a ground where they are incredibly yet to suffer a single competitive defeat in 2023-24 - winning 13 of their last 14 Championship games and each of their last six at Elland Road - and they remain the only team in the second tier with their unbeaten home record still intact.
© Reuters
Thirty-eight goals scored in front of the home crowd is also the second-best record of its kind behind Ipswich's 44, and Leeds have conceded a league-low 12 goals on familiar territory, suggesting that Stoke certainly have their work cut out on Tuesday night.
The Potters share something in common with their midweek hosts, though, as both sides are fighting to clamber above a dotted line between now and the end of the campaign, and Steven Schumacher's men reignited their survival quest with a two-goal beating of Boro on Saturday.
Low strikes in either half from Bae Jun-ho and Lewis Baker gave the sparsely-populated bet365 Stadium crowd plenty to cheer, and Stoke are now one of four sides on 38 points, but their inferior goalscoring tally means that they remain in the drop zone in 22nd spot.
Such is the congested nature of the Championship standings that Stoke are only two points worse off than Plymouth Argyle in 16th, but their away form does not provide any reassurance ahead of their trip to Leeds' Elland Road fortress, as they have lost their last three on the road to Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City.
The Potters faithful should be encouraged by their team's nine-game scoring streak in Championship away matches, though, and Stoke eked out a surprise 1-0 win over Leeds at the bet365 Stadium back in October, but their last stopover at Elland Road in July 2020 ended in a 5-0 mauling.
Team News
© Reuters
After working with several doubts for the FA Cup loss to Chelsea, Farke had all of Bamford, Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville and Ilia Gruev at his disposal for the meeting with Huddersfield, where each member of the quartet completed the full 90 minutes.
A quintet of players were missing from the squad at the weekend, though, including Stuart Dallas (hip), Pascal Struijk (groin), Karl Darlow (thumb), Joe Gelhardt (back) and Jamie Shackleton (illness), but Gelhardt battle back in time for Tuesday.
The hosts will also be without Jaidon Anthony due to personal reasons, while left-back Junior Firpo picked up a slight calf injury against Huddersfield and is a doubt.
Farke may still be tempted to tinker with his attacking system due to Bamford and Summerville's recent niggles - Joel Piroe and Daniel James are waiting in the wings - and the quick turnaround means that the former could come in for Bamford, who has goals in each of his last three league home games.
Over at Stoke, Schumacher could once again be working without a recognised left-back for the trip to Elland Road, as Jordan Thompson serves the second of a two-game suspension for picking up his 10th booking of the Championship campaign against Cardiff City last month.
With Enda Stevens nursing a hamstring problem, American winger Lynden Gooch ought to be shoe-horned into an emergency defensive role again, and midfield fulcrum Wouter Burger is also just one booking away from a ban of his own.
Luke McNally is still keeping Stevens company in the treatment room as he works his way back from a thigh concern, while striker Junior Tchamadeu will not be available either; the 20-year-old suffered an unspecified injury against Cardiff.
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Gray, Ampadu, Rodon, Roberts; Gruev, Kamara; Gnonto, Rutter, James; Piroe
Stoke City possible starting lineup:
Iversen; Hoever, Rose, Wilmot, Gooch; Baker, Burger, Laurent; Manhoef, Ennis, Bae
We say: Leeds United 3-1 Stoke City
Stoke's offensive forces are rarely kept out on enemy territory, but shutting up shop at the other end of the pitch is where the Potters' problems lie away from home, and such vulnerabilities will surely be exposed by the Championship's best home team.
Fatigue may be starting to set in for Farke's overworked troops, but the Whites boss can adjust his attacking setup with some formidable options and ought to oversee a seventh straight league win at Elland Road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic
