Predicted Leeds starting XI vs Villa: Bielsa to make just one change; 29-year-old to start – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Leeds United will take on Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday evening at Elland Road.
The last time when the two sides met, Leeds won 3-0 at Villa Park with Patrick Bamford scoring a hat-trick.
Both sides are missing some key players for this game. Villa will be without their talisman skipper Jack Grealish, while Leeds will be without Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo once again.
Mateusz Klich is not confirmed as fit either although Bielsa suggested that he is progressing well. Jamie Shackleton is also doubtful which leave the Whites light in the middle of the park.
Bielsa’s team selection planning for this game will centre around whether he should start with Diego Llorente.
Pascal Struijk can play as a defensive midfielder, but we have seen this season he is more comfortable playing as a centre-back.
Llorente, who has missed the bulk of the campaign through injuries, played the whole 90 minutes on Tuesday, and Bielsa must decide whether to start with him in midfield.
If Klich misses out, Bielsa will have no choice other than to play Llorente once again.
In that case, Stuart Dallas and Tyler Roberts should stay in the centre while Gjanni Alioski, 29, will return to the side in the left-back role.
Predicted Leeds starting line-up vs Aston Villa: Meslier, Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Alioski, Llorente, Raphinha, Dallas, Roberts, Harrison, Bamford.
Bielsa hailed Grealish as a ‘great’ player, and check out what the Argentine had to say about his potential absence.