FA Cup news: Leeds Utd vs Millwall – Five key battles and score prediction
Saturday marks the much-anticipated return of the FA Cup and one fixture likely to produce fireworks is the showdown between Leeds United and Millwall at Elland Road.
Both sides dispatched lower-league opposition in order to set up this tie, with Leeds seeing off Harrogate Town and Millwall getting the better of Dagenham & Redbridge.
The Whites are flying high in the Championship and will hope to continue that form in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition this weekend.
Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Leasley considers five key battles to anticipate and offers a score prediction.
Daniel Farke vs Alex Neil
Farke’s side comes into this fixture in incredible goalscoring form, having put seven past Cardiff a week ago before adding a further two in the midweek win at Coventry City.
And while his forwards should have matched their Cardiff goal tally against Coventry, Farke will be pleased nevertheless at the comprehensive manner of the victories and the widening gap at the top of the Championship table.
Rotation is likely to be in order this weekend, though, with Leeds set to face Watford in a crunch clash three days later and Farke mindful of the threat of injuries.
The Whites are then set to face promotion contenders in back-to-back games later this month, first hosting Sunderland at Elland Road before making the short trip to Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United.
Back to Saturday’s FA Cup tie, Millwall have put together a fine run of results in recent weeks to open up a much-needed gap above the relegation zone.
Neil’s side arrive off the back of three wins on the bounce and, despite sitting in 14th place, the Lions are actually only five points adrift of fifth-place Blackburn Rovers.
Millwall are also one of only three teams to beat Leeds in the league this season and will be confident of another upset come the weekend.
That said, the Lions may look to rotate slightly as well, with an upcoming trip to Plymouth presenting an opportunity to almost assure their Championship status for another year.
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Mateo Joseph vs Jake Cooper
Leeds’ primary rotation move will see the replacement of top scorer Joel Piroe with Joseph.
The Spaniard ended a long goal drought in the seven-goal thrashing of Cardiff, converting from close range after a fizzed cross from Junior Firpo.
Joseph further provides a different dimension to the Whites attack thanks to his relentless pressing that contrasts greatly with Piroe’s poacher-esque nature.
In order to give Farke a selection headache, Joseph will look to add to his six goal contributions for the season and help propel Leeds into the fifth-round draw.
Cooper, on the other hand, has been a staple of the Millwall defence for eight years now and is set to partner Japhet Tanganga in the centre of defence.
The Englishman was instrumental in the recent back-to-back clean sheets during wins at strugglers Luton Town and Portsmouth.
Indeed, in his 20 appearances in the Championship so far, Cooper has helped the Lions to an impressive 10 clean sheets.
He was also an integral part of the defence that frustrated Leeds at the Den back in November and, should the Lions choose to sit deep again, his services will come in handy this weekend.
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Wilfried Gnonto vs Joe Bryan
Another man to appear on the scoresheet against Cardiff was Gnonto, scoring a mere minute after being introduced as a second-half substitute.
With the incredible form of widemen Manor Solomon and Dan James, Gnonto has found a starting spot hard to come by of late, but the Italian has not been short of attacking output.
He has provided 10 goal contributions this term, that sublime solo effort against Cardiff being his fifth goal.
Crucially, there is always a danger for the opposition when Gnonto is on the ball as the winger has created 38 chances and won a staggering 49 fouls in the Championship.
The defender tasked with stopping the creativity of Gnonto will be former Fulham man Bryan, who has been an ever-present for Millwall lately.
In fact, Bryan has only missed three games this season for Millwall, proving himself a strong full-back in a side that has conceded the fifth fewest goals in the league.
He has made 35 successful tackles alongside 44 interceptions over the course of the campaign, the highest tally of any Millwall defender.
There is also regular refereeing action down Bryan’s left-hand side, with the Englishman committing 28 fouls and winning 23 himself.
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Joe Rothwell vs George Saville
One man to have become a regular feature in the Leeds midfield is Rothwell, who has developed a particularly strong partnership with the tough-tackling Ao Tanaka.
After being dropped for the midweek fixture against Coventry, it is likely that Rothwell finds his way back into the starting line-up on Saturday in place of either Tanaka or Ilja Gruev.
Despite Leeds’ notoriously poor record scoring from set pieces, Rothwell has made it a far more dangerous opportunity for the Whites when he has been on the pitch, picking up two assists in the process.
Rothwell has moreover created a total of 47 chances and managed 44 successful crosses in only 20 Championship starts this season.
With Millwall looking to sit deep and weather a Leeds storm, Saville will come into close contact with Rothwell and seek to stifle his creativity.
Featuring in every fixture for the Lions this term, Saville has forged a strong defensive midfield partnership with Casper De Norre.
Saville has made 45 successful tackles and a staggering 50 interceptions so far.
Those stats have, however, come at the expense of a poor disciplinary record as the midfielder has made the most fouls of any Millwall player with 40 and accumulated seven yellow cards.
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Ethan Ampadu vs Mihailo Ivanovic
Should Pascal Struijk not be fit to start, Ampadu retains his place in the centre of defence.
Following a long period out with injury, Ampadu has gradually made it back to being a regular feature in the Leeds squad, re-establishing a partnership with fellow Welshman Joe Rodon.
In just 16 league starts, Ampadu has racked up 21 successful tackles and 16 interceptions, contributing to a current run of six consecutive clean sheets at the same time.
He has also been an incredible distributor of the ball out of defence, with his passing accuracy currently sitting at 89 per cent.
The man who will in all likelihood go up against Ampadu is the one who helped send Millwall into the fourth round: Ivanovic.
Millwall’s Serbian international has played a crucial role in recent weeks, netting the winner in two consecutive 1-0 wins at Portsmouth and Luton.
He now boasts four Championship goals in nine starts in addition to that goal against Dagenham & Redbridge.
Ivanovic, it must be said, is not afraid to tussle with defenders, conceding 24 fouls in those limited appearances.
If the Whites decide to force the issue and push their full-backs into attacking positions on Saturday, Ivanovic will certainly look to target the Leeds backline on the counter.
Summary
With rotation set to take place and considering the stubborn nature of the Millwall defensive unit, this tie is likely to be decided by a narrow scoreline.
However, should Leeds continue their fine goalscoring output, I see no reason to doubt their advancing to the fifth round at the expense of Championship opposition.
Score prediction: Leeds United 1-0 Millwall
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