Sunday 15th March 2.00pm | Selhurst Park
Leeds United travel to Selhurst Park on Sunday knowing that three points could prove decisive in their battle to retain their Premier League status. With West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Spurs all breathing down their necks, Daniel Farke's men simply cannot afford another slip. The recent 1-0 defeats to Manchester City and Sunderland still sting, but a 3-0 FA Cup win over Norwich last weekend, even with nine changes, served as a timely reminder of the quality in this squad. As Farke himself put it, "a step in the right direction." Now comes the real test.
Crystal Palace were booed off at Selhurst Park on Thursday after a laboured 0-0 Conference League first-leg draw with AEK Larnaca, with Guessand, Mitchell and Richards all squandering clear-cut chances. Sky Sports The mood around SE25 is complicated. Glasner has already confirmed he will leave at the end of the season, having told chairman Steve Parish back in October that he would not be renewing his contract, ESPN and there is a growing sense of players "walking in slow motion towards the end of this chapter." Sky Sports Farke is right, though, to warn that Palace will want a reaction on Sunday. Glasner is far too good a coach to let complacency creep in, and a side that dismantled Spurs 3-1 just a week ago remains a serious threat.
The big question for Leeds is the fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The striker missed the Norwich game through a knee issue, though he has since confirmed "everything's good," insisting his absence was always planned as a short break after the recent Premier League double gameweek. LeedsAllOver Farke echoed that cautious optimism in his press conference but will want to see how Calvert-Lewin reacts in training before committing. Noah Okafor, meanwhile, has missed four matches with a hamstring injury and had not returned to team training ahead of Norwich, OneFootball with Farke all but ruling him out. Joe Rodon looks set to return after being rested as a precaution, and the performances of Nmecha, Piroe and Longstaff against Norwich showed this squad has more depth than some feared after the Birmingham defeat.
On the Palace side, Glasner suggested the European game would not force significant changes and that he expects a similar lineup to the one that beat Spurs. The key absentee remains Daniel Munoz, who requires surgery on a knee problem and could be out for an extended period, Sky Sports robbing Palace of one of their most dynamic outlets. Ismaila Sarr is in brilliant form and will be the danger man Leeds must contain, while Jorgen Strand Larsen, the January signing who came agonisingly close to joining Leeds before Palace swooped, leads the line. Expect him to be motivated.
Farke was characteristically direct when addressing the relegation battle in his press conference. "We will need seven to nine points to stay in this league. The job is not done." With away defeats in London piling up, this is a demanding ask, but Farke refused to be weighed down by that record. "This is a chance to change history a little bit." Squad unity, something the manager has consistently highlighted, will be key. The Bijol selection debate was also batted away with calm confidence, Farke insisting he is relaxed about his centre-back options and that Bornauw has performed admirably when called upon.
This is a difficult game for Leeds. Palace are back in form domestically, Glasner remains a meticulous operator regardless of the noise around his future, and London is rarely a happy hunting ground. But there are cracks in the Eagles' armour, a flat European display, the Mateta tension, the uncertainty at the top. If Calvert-Lewin is fit and Leeds match Palace's intensity from the off, there is every reason to believe the Whites can take something. With the survival push firmly underway, a win on Sunday feels like it could go a long way to securing Leeds United's Premier League future.
