Leeds vs Brentford – News and Probable Lineups

In an effort to distance themselves from the Premier League relegation zone, Leeds United host Brentford, who are vying for European qualification, at Elland Road this Saturday evening.

The earlier encounter three months ago ended in a 1-1 stalemate at the Gtech Community Stadium, with neither side able to emerge victorious.

Match overview

Despite not winning in their last five Premier League outings, head coach Daniel Farke will find positives in some outcomes, particularly their draws against Chelsea (2-2) and Aston Villa (1-1), along with a resilient 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace last weekend while down to ten men.

Shortly after Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a penalty, Gabriel Gudmundsson received a red card for two yellow cards. However, Leeds showed remarkable defensive strength to secure a valuable point at Selhurst Park in their battle to avoid quick relegation back to the Championship.

Currently positioned 15th in the Premier League standings, Leeds are sitting just three points above the relegation zone with eight fixtures left. They have not found the back of the net in their last three games, last experiencing a longer goal drought in February/March 2022 (four matches).

Hoping to score this weekend, Leeds may need to capitalize on set-pieces, having netted a higher proportion of their goals from dead-ball situations this season (excluding penalties) than any team in the league (35.1% – 13/37).

The Whites enter this match with a strong home record against Brentford, having lost just once in their previous 16 league encounters at Elland Road (W7 D8). They are unbeaten in their last seven home matches since a narrow 1-0 defeat in February 2015.

Predicted by many to face relegation this season after a considerable summer overhaul, Brentford has defied expectations, currently holding the seventh position in the table and occupying a Conference League qualification spot with eight games remaining.

However, the Bees have somewhat lost their rhythm this month, experiencing an FA Cup exit on penalties to West Ham sandwiched between two draws in the Premier League against Bournemouth (0-0) and Wolves (2-2), where they let a two-goal lead slip at home against the latter on Monday.

Head coach Keith Andrews expressed his frustration and disappointment following the draw with Wolves, admitting that “some players need to take a long look in the mirror” after allowing the league’s bottom side to mount a comeback after dominating the initial 45 minutes.

Brentford has dropped more points from winning positions than any other Premier League side (69) in the last three seasons, and they cannot afford to lose many more points if they wish to secure their highest-ever finish in the top tier (currently ninth) and narrow the three-point gap to Chelsea in sixth.

The Bees will look forward to an away trip this weekend, having won five of their last seven on the road (D1 L1), with only league leaders Arsenal (18) earning more away points than Andrews’s team during this stretch (16). Brentford has also lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches against promoted clubs (W11 D1).

Team News

Leeds head coach Farke has confirmed that his squad is free of injuries, with attacker Noah Okafor now back in contention after missing the last five games due to a hamstring issue.

However, Gabriel Gudmundsson will sit out due to a one-match ban following his red card at Crystal Palace, which may see James Justin shift to left wing-back with Jayden Bogle returning to start on the opposite side.

Only Bruno Fernandes has created as many chances from set plays in the Premier League this season as Anton Stach (both 27), who could start in an advanced midfield role beside Brenden Aaronson behind striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who scored a late equalizer in the previous match against Brentford.

For the Bees, Vitaly Janelt (ankle), Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry (both thigh), Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo, and Josh Dasilva (all knee) will remain sidelined due to injuries.

Mikkel Damsgaard will be evaluated after being substituted due to an injury in the encounter with Wolves. If Damsgaard is unfit, Yehor Yarmolyuk may step in for midfield duties, with Mathias Jensen expected to take on a more advanced central role.

Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade are both anticipated to support striker Igor Thiago, who is just one goal short of reaching the 20-goal milestone in the Premier League this season, aiming to become the third Brentford player to achieve this feat after Ivan Toney (2022-23) and Bryan Mbeumo (2024-25).

Leeds United probable starting XI:

Darlow; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Longstaff, Ampadu, Justin; Stach, Aaronson; Calvert-Lewin

Brentford probable starting XI:

Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Ouattara, Jensen, Damage; Thiago

In four of the last six league meetings between Leeds and Brentford, the matches have ended in draws, suggesting another closely contested game could take place this weekend, likely featuring plenty of action on both sides. An entertaining score draw could be on the cards at Elland Road.