Saturday 21st February 3:00pm| Villa Park
Leeds head down to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon with the knowledge that they are about to face (on paper), one of the toughest opponents in the Premier League. Unai Emery’s side have turned Villa Park into a fortress, unbeaten in 18 league games against promoted clubs under his stewardship (14 wins, 4 draws). Villa have taken 24 points from their last six league meetings with the Whites (four wins, two draws), a run that has left Leeds with a bitter taste of history.
For Leeds, the odds look daunting, but the statistics tell a slightly more hopeful story. Since the start of December the Whites have only lost two league games; only Manchester City and Manchester United have lost less (one each). In other words, while victories have been elusive, Leeds have shown a stubborn resilience this season. Daniel Farke is painfully aware that away from home, his side must start converting draws to wins at some point. The Whites have not won away since beating Wolves last September.
Daniel Farke laid out his thoughts on the Villa game during Thursdays pre‑match press conference, and his words paint a picture of a squad that is bruised but not broken. “You have to deal with injuries. Each and every club has it. We are in the top two for physical output in the league. We always have to invest more than the opponent, so yes, sometimes there’s a knock or stretch of the muscle and we have to deal with it,” Farke said, acknowledging the hamstring setback to Noah Okafor, who will miss at least the next two games after his FA‑Cup injury against Birmingham City.
The good news, however, is that three key players have returned to training: Anton Stach, Pascal Struijk and Dan James. Farke stressed that their return is “a really good position, with only Okafor out. At this stage of February, overall it is not too bad.” He also hinted that the current injury list may have a silver‑lining: “Sometimes also it is easier to please everyone as everyone feels needed, starting games and proving worth. So it’s also sometimes good for togetherness.”
A recurring theme in Farke’s remarks was the squad depth that loan signing Facundo Buonanotte provides. “It’s always important you are not carried away by expectations from a signing,”. “We signed him to improve the depth in our squad, not to overhaul the eleven straight away. We let Jack Harrison and Harry Gray go out on loan, and we spoke openly with Facundo about it.” The manager believes the slow start is “not a big risk for the club or the player” given the midfielder’s lack of game time.
On the leadership front, Farke praised James Justin’s brief spell with the captain’s armband (at St Andrews), calling him “Captain pedigree" and gushed that the former Leicester City man "embodies our mantra in a perfect way.” Cautiously, Farke warned against reading too much into Villa’s 2‑1 FA‑Cup defeat at Newcastle last weekend, which came after they played a long spell with ten men: “If you have to go there, you need a top, top performance.”
Villa, meanwhile, will be fielding a relatively settled back‑line. Matty Cash faces a late fitness test after a knee problem, while Emi Martínez is expected between the sticks and Ezri Konsa plus Ian Maatsen should return at the back. The biggest decision for Emery will be at left centre‑back, where he must choose between Tyrone Mings, who earned a place against Bournemouth and Brighton, or the relatively untested Pau Torres.
In midfield, the double‑pivot of Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz offers a blend of power and ball‑play, while the attacking trio could see Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendía slotting in on the wings, perhaps with Jadon Sancho or Leon Bailey taking the right‑hand flank. Up front, Tammy Abraham, who has scored in both his starts at Villa Park since returning, could be handed the nod as a reward for recent form, a move that would send a clear message to Ollie Watkins that his place is not guarantee!
