Preview: Leeds United vs. Blackburn Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

Leeds United's location lucifer against Blackburn Rovers astatine Elland Road successful the Championship connected Wednesday could beryllium the catalyst for some to propulsion for promotion to the Premier League.

The hosts pb the mode by 2 points successful the 2nd tier and person 51 points pursuing their 1-0 triumph against Derby County connected Sunday, portion their opponents are successful 5th spot with 38 points but lost 1-0 against Hull City connected December 29.

Match preview

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Leeds mightiness person lone beaten Derby acknowledgment to a 79th-minute victor from Brenden Aaronson, but they created 5 large chances, accumulated 62% possession and prevented the Rams from creating immoderate large chances of their own.

Manager Daniel Farke was delighted with his players' performances, telling reporters: "Normally you can't miss truthful galore chances to triumph points successful specified a hard spot but for maine we scored the extremity of the season. I emotion this goal, connected specified a hard pitch, cleanable squad move.

"Perfect squad performance, cleanable distant performance. These nights are the best. Tight win, precocious goal, cleanable expanse and is cleanable for the temper and spirit."

The Peacocks' grounds of 44 goals scored and 15 conceded successful the Championship makes them league's champion violative and 3rd champion antiaircraft team.

Leeds travel into their lucifer connected Wednesday having won 4 of their past five, and person triumphed successful 8 of their past 10, drafting 1 and losing conscionable 1 successful that time.

However, that decision was a 1-0 nonaccomplishment against Blackburn connected November 30, a crippled successful which Blackburn created 4 large chances compared to Leeds' one.

It should beryllium noted that the hosts person won each of their past 9 fixtures astatine Elland Road, keeping 7 cleanable sheets and scoring 24 goals successful that period.

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The visitors are winless successful their 3 astir caller games, losing 2 and drafting one, but they had won their anterior six matches.

While Blackburn produced 3 large chances against Hull connected Sunday, it would person been concerning to brag John Eustace that his squad besides conceded 3 large chances and mislaid contempt facing conscionable 3 shots connected target.

The manager was captious of his team's deficiency of ruthlessness successful the aftermath of the defeat, saying: "We had 2 oregon 3 large chances to score. When you're not clinical, it does outgo you successful the end. I've watched [Hull's] past 2 oregon 3 games and they've constricted the absorption to adjacent to thing with the mode they acceptable up - we knew we'd lone get constricted chances."

Eustace's broadside inhabit the 2nd past of 4 promotion playoff spots, but their instrumentality of 27 goals is the fewest among teams successful the apical 12.

The Riversiders lost 1-0 against Millwall successful their past distant crippled connected December 21, but they did triumph the anterior 4 fixtures connected the roadworthy by a cumulative people of 6-1.

Leeds United Championship form:

Blackburn Rovers Championship form:

Team News

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Leeds volition unluckily not beryllium incapable to telephone upon midfielder Ilia Gruev until the mediate of adjacent period owed to a genu injury, truthful expect Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka to commencement successful a treble pivot.

Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto are apt to commencement successful the guardant line, though Farke volition not capable to bring connected winger Joe Gelhardt arsenic a effect of a hep injury.

Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Patrick Struijk and Sam Byram started successful the backline against Derby, and they are astir definite to clasp their places successful the XI fixed defenders Junior Firpo and Maximilian Wober person been ruled out.

Meanwhile, Blackburn volition beryllium without forwards Arnor Sigurdsson and Zak Gilsenan until aboriginal January, truthful possibly Tyrhys Dolan, Todd Cantwell and Ryan Hedges volition commencement down Yuki Ohashi.

Defenders Scott Wharton, Harry Pickering and Hayden Carter are retired owed to injuries, and this could mean that Callum Brittain, Dominic Hyam, Danny Batth and Owen Beck are acceptable to clasp their places successful the starting XI.

Elsewhere, Lewis Baker and Sondre Tronstad started the visitors' past 2 matches and are apt to diagnostic connected Wednesday fixed midfielder Lewis Travis is retired due to the fact that of a hamstring issue.

Leeds United imaginable starting lineup:
Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Byram; Ampadu, Tanaka; James, Aaronson, Gnonto; Joseph

We say: Leeds United 3-1 Blackburn Rovers

Though Leeds did suffer successful the reverse fixture, their fantabulous signifier of precocious should marque them beardown favourites connected Wednesday.

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