Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could be forced into a big change on Thursday evening after Kalvin Phillips was ruled out through injury.
The Yorkshire club are literally on the verge of gaining promotion to the Premier League, sitting top of the Championship table and they head into Thursday’s fixture looking to get closer to top flight football.
A superb win against Swansea City at the weekend, courtesy of a Pablo Hernandez goal, sees Leeds obvious favourites for the fixture.
Barnsley sit rock bottom of the table but a win for the visitors at Elland Road could see them become involved in a relegation battle along with the likes of Luton Town, Hull City, Charlton Athletic, Huddersfield Town and Middlesbrough.
Looking ahead to the game, Bielsa will have a number of thoughts going round his head and those will start in between the sticks as Spaniard Kiko Casilla is now available for selection after returning from his ban for racial abuse.
Illan Meslier has been in good form for the Whites though and he is expected to remain as Bielsa’s number one despite Casilla’s return.
A second question mark is that of the fitness of defensive midfielder Phillips, who is expected to miss the final three league games of the season through injury.
Ben White could move further up the field and replace the £10.8m-valued ace in the holding role as he has done before, meaning Gaetano Berardi could come in to fill in at centre-back.
Finally, a third potential decision on the shoulders of Bielsa is that of Pablo Hernandez having seen the Spanish playmaker contribute with excellent form and some key moments since the Premier League restart.
He netted the late winner against Swansea and could come in to start this one ahead of Mateusz Klich.
Do you think Leeds will secure a win against Barnsley? Let us know in the comments section below…
About the Author
