Leeds United will face off against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Sunday as they look to secure a win in the semifinals of the FA Cup. The Whites managed to earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Bournemouth recently, so they would be eager to put in another positive performance this weekend.
Daniel Farke will set his side up in a 3-4-2-1 formation and is expected to keep changes to a minimum for this game. Hence, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will once again lead the charge for the Yorkshire club up top.
Defence
Karl Darlow will operate in between the sticks for the Whites after shipping in a couple of goals in his last appearance. Farke will opt for a back three of James Justin, Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk for this game. All three of them need to defend their penalty box if they are to keep the Chelsea attackers frustrated throughout the 90 minutes.
Joe Rodon will provide cover for the defensive positions on the Leeds bench.
Midfield
Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu will anchor the midfield for the Yorkshire club as they focus on winning the 50-50 battles at the centre of the park and orchestrating some inviting chances for their teammates up top.
Gabriel Gudmundsson will try to impress as the left-sided wide player, while Jayden Bogle looks to prove his value on the right flank. Both of them will have to come back to defend when they can and also make some overlapping runs out in the wide areas.
Brenden Aaronson and Noah Okafor will operate as Leeds’ attacking midfielders. Both of them need to carry most of the creative burden for the Whites in the final third.
Sean Longstaff and Wilfried Gnonto will have to be content with a place on the bench as they await their chance to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Attack
Dominic Calvert-Lewin will spearhead Leeds’ attack up top. He has to figure out a way to be a real threat on the offensive end of the pitch.
Joel Piroe and Lukas Nmecha will have to settle for a spot on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if required.
Leave a Reply