Leeds United vs Sheffield United analysis: Five key battles and score prediction
Friday night at Elland Road is set to hold a feisty Yorkshire derby as Sheffield United travel to Leeds United in the Championship.
The Blades arrive still unbeaten in the league and will have great confidence in taking points away from a slightly depleted Leeds side.
Leeds will be looking to bury the demons of a 97th-minute equaliser at the Stadium of Light just before the international break and get their automatic promotion ambitions back on track by winning this derby.
The last Championship fixture between these two sides ended in a Sheffield victory after Chris Basham capitalised on a defensive mix-up to net in front of the South stand.
Leeds, however, managed to do the double over their opponents in the 2020-21 Premier League season.
This is a fixture too close to call on paper, with Leeds in fifth place and Sheffield in second place on the Championship table, and there is no doubt it will be just as close on the pitch.
Here, Sports News Blitz's Samuel Leasley considers five key battles to anticipate in the Friday night promotion clash at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke vs Chris Wilder
Both managers could call themselves Championship promotion experts with three promotions between them.
Daniel Farke will be the more unhappy of the two managers entering this fixture following the inexplicable circumstances of two dropped points at Sunderland and an injury list that continues to pile up.
In particular, Farke has been vocal about the lack of rest for players such as Brendan Aaronson, who played a fixture for the US on Wednesday morning and will likely not have substantial training time before Friday’s fixture.
Farke is boosted, however, with the returns of Manor Solomon and Daniel James to full training and both should find their way into the matchday squad following this.
Chris Wilder knows exactly what a promotion race with Leeds is all about and will be looking to take advantage of a slightly weakened Whites side to take yet another three points this season.
Wilder was awarded Championship Manager of the Month for September having led the Blades to 10 points from an available 12 and that without a goal conceded.
Despite this defensive solidity, it would be foolish to think Wilder will settle for a point at Elland Road.
Both Farke and Wilder will be looking to assert themselves in this fixture, and the attacking talent that both sides possess will no doubt lead to a gluttony of chances in this game.
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Illan Meslier vs Michael Cooper
On the pitch, arguably no man who will have more eyes on him on Friday than Illan Meslier.
The Frenchman is certain to be the target of jeers from the away side, but Farke will be hoping his number one banishes the demons and performs to the high standards he is capable of.
Meslier has kept five clean sheets in the Championship this season, and he will be looking to add to this tally on Friday and continue to keep Welsh international Karl Darlow out of the side.
Michael Cooper, on the other hand, boasts the best goalkeeper stats in the Championship, conceding only a single goal in his seven starts this season.
That single goal is the last goal Sheffield United conceded in the Championship as a run of six straight clean sheets has since propelled the Blades up the table.
Cooper has made 12 saves across those fixtures and will be looking to put himself into contention for a Team of the Season place, as he did during his time at Plymouth.
Should both sides look to deploy high pressing, the goalkeepers will need to be alert when playing out from the back. Here, Cooper’s 70% pass accuracy is a potential a problem area for the Blades.
The towering presence of Kieffer Moore, however, remains a long-ball outlet during high-pressure situations.
In the end, with the attacking talent on both sides, each goalkeeper will have their work cut out and Leeds in particular will be hoping for a quieter day in defence.
Joe Rodon vs Kieffer Moore
A match-up where both men know each other very well is that of the Welsh international duo, Joe Rodon and Kieffer Moore.
Rodon arrives at this fixture having played every minute of both Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Montenegro, with the central defender achieving a clean sheet playing in front of club team-mate Karl Darlow.
On Friday, Rodon will face a different kind of threat than what he is used to such as nimble, quick-footed forwards trying to keep the ball grounded.
Moore is arguably the biggest aerial threat in the Championship and will keep Rodon company as a permanent lone number nine.
Rodon notably has very poor tackling statistics in comparison to the previous season, with the Welshman only making three successful tackles and committing eight fouls.
For his part, Moore will be looking to add to his surprisingly low goal tally in the Championship, having scored only a solitary goal, and further help the Blades’ push towards promotion similar to his contribution at Ipswich Town last season.
Typically asserting his dominant frame up front, the forward has given away a number of fouls this season, committing 10 while winning seven.
This match-up could potentially lead to both men attempting to stretch the laws of the game in order to gain an edge, which could prove a point of interest if yellow cards lead to either side ending up with a disadvantage.
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Jayden Bogle vs Jesurun Rak-Sakyi
A player familiar amongst both sets of fans is Leeds wing-back Jayden Bogle.
Bogle spent four years with the Blades, making 88 appearances, and was a regular starter in their relegation campaign prior to this season.
Despite having a mixed start to the season, Bogle appears to have settled into the Whites’ side and netted his first goal for the club in their most recent home fixture against Coventry City.
Bogle has made the second-most successful tackles out of anyone in the Leeds side with 11 and has won the third-most fouls with 12.
He therefore represents as much an attacking threat as a defensive rock, yet vacating his position could open the door for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi to take advantage.
Rak-Sakyi arrives at Elland Road in fine form having scored two goals in his most recent Championship fixture against Luton Town.
The winger rejected an approach from Leeds in the summer to join the Blades on a season-long loan from Crystal Palace and has made eight league appearances this season so far.
Rak-Sakyi additionally has incredibly impressive defensive stats, winning 10 tackles, which is four more than any other attacker.
In particular, the young Englishman will be looking to exploit Leeds’ high line and deploy crosses towards target man Moore whilst continuously bugging the Whites’ full-backs.
Rak-Sakyi has a rapid burst of pace and is an incredibly capable ball carrier, boasting on average a minimum of 80% passing accuracy alongside four dribbles per game.
Both Bogle and Rak-Sakyi have the ability to create the chances and draw the fouls that can turn the tide of the fixture - and whoever gains the edge in this battle will no doubt play a big role in taking the three points.
Joel Piroe vs Gustavo Hamer
Two players who were under a watchful eye during the latter stages of the transfer window were Gustavo Hamer and Joel Piroe.
Stories broke that Wilder was intent on keeping Hamer after Leeds had lodged a bid for the former Coventry man that seemingly fell short of the Blades’ valuation.
It was rumoured that the Sheffield United camp attempted to cause disruption by alleging that Leeds had offered a straight swap between Joel Piroe and Gustavo Hamer, but those rumours were seemingly dispersed by Leeds.
Piroe has been in incredible form recently, netting four goals from his last four shots on target, most recently netting in the away draw at league leaders Sunderland.
It is likely that Piroe will retain his place in the starting XI following his recent performances, and Sheffield will have to be wary of any loose balls in the 18-yard box due to the Dutchman’s poaching nature.
Having only started a single game in the Championship before the Sunderland fixture, Piroe will be looking to keep youngster Mateo Joseph on the bench and continue his fine vein of scoring against a stern defensive outfit.
Gustavo Hamer has been Sheffield United’s main attacking threat this season, matching the four-goal total of Piroe as well as providing an assist.
The Dutchman has also taken the most shots of any Blades player alongside having the most shots on target in the squad, hitting the target with nine of his 18 attempts.
Hamer will likely be deployed in his typical number 10 role and will look to take advantage of a weakened Leeds midfield following long-term injuries to Ilja Gruev and club captain Ethan Ampadu.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell are the most likely candidates to monitor the creativity of Hamer, it will fall to them to prevent him from pulling the strings at Elland Road.
Almost as a parallel to Farke’s system, when Hamer is given the space to dictate play as a number 10, Sheffield United seem to prosper. The centre of the park may thus hold the key to taking the three points.
Sheffield arrive with an incredible defensive run, however Leeds recently netted twice against a Sunderland side yet to ship a goal at home all season.
All in all, this is set up to be a tight affair between two promotion contenders, and our hunch is that after 90 minutes nothing will separate the two.
Score prediction: Leeds United 1-1 Sheffield United
