Match Day Thread Leeds Utd v Aston Villa

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Leeds Utd v Aston Villa
Sunday 28th April at 12.00
Streaming links to follow
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Hi Folks

The penultimate game of Leeds 2018-19 season sees the visit of high flying Aston Villa to Elland Road for a Sunday lunchtime kick off.

Dean Smith's men have won 10 on the bounce elevating themselves and guaranteeing 5th place in the table.

Bearing this in mind, will the former Brentford gaffer want to rest his star players for the play offs?

Bielsa will surely be thinking the same. Leeds are 3 points and have a -9 goal handicap than their South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Utd but are 5 points clear of the Baggies with two games remaining!

It seems a foregone conclusion that the Blades will beat Ipswich on Saturday. Bearing this in mind, what team would you put out against Villa?

Will Brown finally get a chance, show his class and win us the play offs?

Alioski is having surgery on his ankle. With Douglas out of action too, who would you like to see at left back? Laif, Dallas or Berardi?

Does Shackleton deserve a chance to show what he can do?

What about Polish wizkid Mateusz Bogusz?

What would you do?

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With foreign dignitaries jetting in for this one and the necessity to take 6 points from the last 2 games to re-establish a bit of momentum for the playoffs if nothing else, Bielsa will be playing his strongest 11.

That means Berardi at LB, and any bugger but Roofe at 10 - I'd like to see Bogusz getting half an hour if the occasion allows.

Shackleton should be preferred over Jack Clarke who sadly is a busted slipper after his virus.

I would get pissed as a fart before the game as usual, but will have to watch the game sober due to inconsiderate flight schedules. The bar will still hopefully be open after. And I would play bloody Phillips from the off.

MOT.

 

We have to go for the win but we don’t need to play panic football, we really don’t wan’t to be finishing 4th

I don’t want to be playing Derby again either, we’ve twice given them a lesson in football and I can see the headlines being prepared now should they be the ones to knock us out after Spygate.

I’m really not enjoying this end of season finish yet at the start of the season before a ball was kicked I’d have been ecstatic at a guaranteed play off spot

 

Would be typical of Leeds to have a good win against Villa, we need it, don't believe in fielding a weaker team to
"Rest" players a bird in the hand and all that.
As Ristac says above I too would have been ecstatic at the start of the season with a guaranteed play off spot
But still pi--ed off.

 

Need to focus and not get upset with where we are. We can still get promotion. I would like to see 2-3 of the U23 in the squad to see how they get on and what they could add during the last two games, before we get into the play-offs. We are 5 points above 4th and so I'm hoping 3rd is ours

 

I’d like to see some U23s in the starting 11 but I’m in two minds. If we lose to Villa then Ipswich becomes a must win to secure 3rd, if we beat Villa and by some miracle the Blades slip up then Ipswich obviously still becomes a must win.

Bielsa has probably only switched one player in and out all season. The U23s he started Berardi for 45 minutes but I don’t think Dallas was included, I don’t remember seeing his name, I have a feeling Dallas will start at LB.

We’re all hoping Phillips is in ahead of Forshaw (well nearly all) it’s a horrid situation we’ve got ourselves into, it’s a must try and win but another injury to someone like Pablo who could clearly do with a rest and it really is season over

 

True, It depends how the Villa game goes. I'm not sure how Villa will play it. They have their place, why show their hand before the play-offs, will they rest players, will they try to keep the winning momentum going. To be honest I don't care it's about us. We need to re-group and focus on getting back to winning and if that means using the next two games as a trial then do it. We have some amazing talent in the U23 they will not have the anxiety that has landed on the 1st teams shoulders but how good are they in a real game? Equally the 1st team need a rest and a recovery period. Bielsa will be frustrated but I'm sure his experience will shine through. He knows where we are strong he knows where we can improve, I'm hoping he knows how much it all means?

 

Wonder if Bielsa will wait for the Sheffield score before naming the line up for Villa.

 

Remember Smith slagging us off after the draw whilst he was Brentford manager, then again moaning that we over celebrated the comeback win at Villa Park, he really doesn't like Leeds so will do all he can to win the game, I'll be surprised if he plays anything but a strong team.

 

Would vote but there isn't an option for Villa score ? vs Leeds injure Grealish for the play-offs

 

With AV sealing a position in playoffs, it's very likely the manager may rest a few players; it'd make sense if he did.

Bielsa said after Brentford game that while the maths allow, he'll be going for it.

If we can put a few past AV, and Blades draw or lose against Ipswich, it's going to make it a very interesting last game as Sheff U take on Stoke. I know many will say Blades will romp home against Ipswich, but anything can happen during last 2 games; they'll be playing carefully trying more not to concede that attack imo.

Norwich only need 1 point v Blackburn to gain promotion, but Blackburn are no pushovers and may want a say in what happens at top.

With nothing to lose, and everything to gain, we should go all out attack against AV, which means no Bamford for me. We still have a chance, so need to go for it.

Even 6th place is up for grabs with BC v Derby at home. Boro play Rotherham so Derby could see their 6th spot disappear, making it harder to qualify.

 

Last seasom Millwall played Villa last game of the season who were going well and had cemented their play-off place, they fielded a weakened side and lost 1-0 (could had been a lot more), they beat Middlesbrough no problem in the semis but didn't show up against Fulham in the final, different manager now I know but resting players hinders momentum and besides they set a new record if they can make it 11 out of 11.

 

I'd get pissed.

 

Regardless of what happens on Saturday we need points from either Villa or Ipswich to guarantee 3rd place - we can't take it for granted that we can lose to Villa and be fine at Ipswich. We need to put on a good display to get the players confidence back and the crowds confidence back (and that's a two way thing with the support) going into play-offs and then let one of Villa or West Brom knock each other out.

 

Fulham on the other hand lost at Brentford last game to blow auto's yet won the play offs.

 

They didn't 'rest' key players though, they used that defeat as a positive to get over the line.

 

Just like we will you mean

 

Just hoping Villa have 'peaked too early'. They've won 10 in a row, difficult to 'win' 15 in a row, which is what they'll need to win the playoffs. Form might dip at just the wrong time (fingers crossed). I see our wallie friends have returned now we've ****ed up our auto hopes

 

Also not an automatic that Villa would beat Brum - they drew in first game and then West Brom beat them 2-0 in Feb. I know they have Grealish back and having being getting better and better under Smith but still wouldn’t like to call that derby game over 2 legs....

(That’s if they play each other - technically we could lose two games and West Brom win both and then we might play Villa - or Villa have us and Norwich next so could lose them both and then Fat Franks Derby County could technically over take them - though they have a pretty tough run-in as well with Bristol and Swansea away and West Brom last at home)

 

Villa will play strong and want to keep the winning mentality IMO,
BUT
They could play their under 11s and achieve that if Leeds play like they did at Brentford
plus to win you have to put the ball in the net so something has to improve

I think a draw if you can score 2