Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thread - Klich fit, Costa in for Harrison

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Match Thread Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thread - Klich fit, Costa in for Harrison

Post by Ellandback1 »



Saturday 27th February 2021 17:30 | Elland Road


Marcelo Bielsa faces a midfield crisis as Leeds welcome Aston Villa for an early Saturday evening kick off at Elland Road. Jamie Shackleton missed Leeds midweek win against Southampton with an abdominal injury whilst Mateusz Klich was obviously in discomfort when being substituted half way through the second half of the Saints game with a hip injury sustained some weeks ago. The gaffer is already without the services of Ian Poveda, Rodrigo, Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw in the middle of the park. Fortuately Klich is fit enough to make the starting eleven in midfield alongside Tyler Roberts. We may see a switch of wings for Raphinha as Helder Costa comes into the side after an impressive cameo against Southampton in place of the out of form Jack Harrison.

Leeds are boosted by the return of Diego Llorente. The Spanish International played the full 90 minutes of the Saints game. Llorente has experience with his previous club, both as centre back and defensive midfield. This will please Bielsa, who has been unable to fill Kalvin Phillips shoes during his absence. Leeds will be hoping they can repeat the reverse fixture having destroyed Dean Smiths team back in late October courtesy of a Bamford hat trick.

The visitors will be without their talisman Grealish who has a shin injury. The skipper missed Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Leicester and while boss Dean Smith hopes he could be available for Tuesday's game against Sheffield United, there is no exact timeframe for the midfielder's return. Defender Bjorn Engels has recovered from a back spasm and could be among the substitutes. Right-back Matty Cash is expected to be out for at least another two weeks with a hamstring injury. Defender Kortney Hause (foot) and forward Wesley (knee) remain on the sidelines although both are close to a return.




Aston Villa are two places and one point (8th v 10th) ahead of the Whites in the Premiership table with the Birmingham club also having an eleven goal difference swing on Leeds, even though Bielsa's side has scored 6 more goals this season than Villa. Leeds won the reverse fixture 3-0 and can do the league double over Aston Villa for the first time since 1975-76. Villa have only won two of their past 17 away league games against Leeds, with those victories coming in January and December 2000. Leeds can win three Premier League home games in a row for the first time since a run of five from April to August 2001. They have kept successive clean sheets at Elland Road. There has not been a draw in any of their past 16 league fixtures: Leeds have won eight and lost eight.

Aston Villa have won just one of their past six away league matches, in contrast to five victories in their opening six trips this season. It's five defeats in nine Premier League games for Dean Smith's side in 2021 (W3, D1). All but one of their 11 league victories this season has been earned with a clean sheet, but Villa have lost nine of the 11 matches in which they've conceded. Villa have kept a league-high seven away clean sheets, one shy of equalling their club top-flight record. They are attempting to win away against all three promoted teams in a top-flight season for the first time since 1980-81. Since Villa returned to the top flight in 2019, they have lost 2-1 in all three Premier League fixtures without Jack Grealish.


Leeds Starting XI
Meslier, Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Llorente, Dallas, Klich, Costa, Roberts, Raphinha, Bamford

Subs: Casilla, Cresswell, Davis, Alioski, Jenkins, Huggins, Harrison, Hernandez, Gelhardt
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Chilli D »

Let's turn them over and finish the season with 12 'free hits'
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by 1964white »

Chilli D wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 12:33 pm Let's turn them over and finish the season with 12 'free hits'
Yes Chilli, I detest Villa more than any other club in the PL

I wonder why :duno:
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Velotrax »

1964white wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 1:01 pm Yes Chilli, I detest Villa more than any other club in the PL

I wonder why :duno:
I can think of 3 good reasons, one being the 'gifted goal, an other being Dean Smith and lets not forget JT !
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by 1964white »

Velotrax wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 1:06 pm I can think of 3 good reasons, one being the 'gifted goal, an other being Dean Smith and lets not forget JT !
Then there's Jack (with his silly short socks) screaming to the ref "my kit is dirty because someone blew on me ref"

Oh & the rest of his teammates falling over/feigning injury/wasting time at any given moment.

Hope we batter them :-D
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Cjay »

Shouldn't take them lightly tbf.

Having a great season generally and look a far more solid and well organised outfit than last season.

Luiz is every bit as important to them as KP is to us and does a great job in that holding role.

Traore while not Raph level has shown talent and flair, offers them something a bit different to try hards like Trezeguet and El Ghazi.

Watkins works his butt off and has pace and decent movement, will give us problems if given service im sure.

Mings, Konsa, Targett and Cash with Martinez have been a very solid back 5 (Martinez has won them plenty of points).

All that being said they are in uncharted territory a bit imo.

All season they have had a very consistent lineup (10 of there players have played in 21 or more of there 23 games) Comparatively we have 7 who have only missed 2 or less games.

To highlight that KP has missed the same amount of games alone as Grealish, McGinn, Mings, Traore and Luiz have combined.

Villa have had the benefit of a settled side most of the season.

But they now are without Cash and Grealish and they look all the weaker for it offensively imo.

Watched them against Leicester, still defensively ok (although Leicester scored 2 and then took the foot of the gas a bit) but offensively very little.

Villa dont seem to have progressed beyond "pass it to Jack" when attacking. Without him and without Cash marauding forward they looked lost.

So while we shouldn't take them lightly we have already comfortably beaten them without KP once already and Villa are still practically offensively and creativity a one man team as they have been for years

We are both weakened atm us more so in terms of numbers but we seem better equipped to cope as the season as a whole has shown.

Wont be easy to break them down however as they still have defensive solidarity, but I'm sure Raph can find a way.
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Smudge3920 »

Wish list ....for this game I wish Norman Hunter was in the team...so in the tunnel (under normal circumstances) could smile at Mings and say..." Hey curly locks... behave today or I am coming looking for you :evil: "... I ferkin hate Mings...
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Irish Ian »

Tricky game this, especially on the ice rink.
'
"Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Leeds1000 »

Apologies if its been posted but a decent little interview here by Andrea.

A few interesting points.
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by mothbanquet »

We beat them convincingly without Kalvin and while they had Grealish. This is more than winnable.
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Smudge3920 »

mothbanquet wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 8:38 pm We beat them convincingly without Kalvin and while they had Grealish. This is more than winnable.
:tup:
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by 1964white »

Bielsa says he hopes Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish is available to face his side at Elland Road on Saturday.

Bielsa said Grealish, 25, is "a great player who can unbalance you".

However, he added that the presence of talented players such as Grealish in an opposing side can act as a "stimulus".

Bielsa added: "I always prefer that opponents have their best players available because even if that fortifies a team and makes them more scary to face, it's also a stimulus for us to face such players and to try to neutralise them."
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Metro1962 »

I see this as an high scoring match so going 8-0 to Leeds and that is just the 1st half. :-D

2nd half we might add a few more to it. :)
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Velotrax »

1964white wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 1:22 pm Then there's Jack (with his silly short socks) screaming to the ref "my kit is dirty because someone blew on me ref"

Oh & the rest of his teammates falling over/feigning injury/wasting time at any given moment.

Hope we batter them :-D
I thought Girlish was out injured, would be great to see him slipping on our new pitch, going down faster than a fat bitch on a slide !
As for the rest of them , they are just cheats like JT
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Allrounder »

Velotrax wrote: Thu Feb 25, 2021 11:12 pm I thought Girlish was out injured, would be great to see him slipping on our new pitch, going down faster than a fat bitch on a slide !
As for the rest of them , they are just cheats like JT
I am nore sure if it's an advantage to have him playing on this pitch, we can easily get a red card the way he dives around, so he will surely go for that.
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

They shouldn't be taken lightly, as they are good at doing a high press, which is something we struggle with. I hope Meslier will keep up with mixing up short and long balls, and not try to play it around too much at the back when our CBs and FBs are being pressed hard.

Losing Grealish though is a massive blow to them and loads it in our favour. We finally overcame the ' 5 losses without Phillips' jinx last time.
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Cjay »

Grealish is out.

Confirmed by Dean Smith.

Its an advantage but we have actually shut him down very well when we have played Villa anyway.
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Cjay »

With KP and Rodders definitely out.

Shacks probably out

Klich maybe out (very worried about Klich, wrong side of 30 and starting to struggle with hip issues).

We are literally going to have no midfield.

Roberts and Dallas probably.

So invite Villa on, win it back, then bypass the midfield and go over the top down the sides similar to we did with Southampton 2nd half?
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by Velotrax »

Cjay wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:39 pm Grealish is out.

Confirmed by Dean Smith.
But they are bringing in Tom Daly to replace him !
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Re: Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thead

Post by 1964white »

Cjay wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 1:41 pm
Roberts and Dallas probably.

So invite Villa on, win it back, then bypass the midfield and go over the top down the sides similar to we did with Southampton 2nd half?
Agree we need to be more direct & make use of the pace we have down the flanks.

I did think Dallas & Roberts did well in the central of our midfield v the Saints, Pablo also steadied us with more composure on the ball.
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