Leeds United are back in action on Sunday afternoon, playing their first game of 2022.
The Whites will take on Burnley at Elland Road in a Premier League encounter which will see the two teams continuing their battle to move up the table, against one another.
Leeds haven’t played since a home loss to Arsenal on December 18th, whilst the Clarets lost against Manchester United away from home just a couple of days ago, following an 18 day break from playing prior to that.
This will be the second meeting between Marcelo Bielsa and Sean Dyche this season. At Turf Moor in August, Chris Wood’s opener just after the hour mark was cancelled out by a Patrick Bamford equaliser just a few minutes from time.
Both games last season saw Bielsa’s team pick up three points. A Bamford penalty secured a 1-0 victory at Elland Road, which was then followed up with a comprehensive 4-0 success at Turf Moor.
Burnley have played 16 matches so far this campaign, two fewer than the Whites. The Lancashire based club have won only once during these matches, a 3-1 success over Brentford in October. The club have drawn a number of times though, eight to be precise, and will now be looking to turn them into wins.
The Whites have also drawn a high number up to now, compared to last season. With three wins and seven draws from 18 games played, Bielsa’s team sit five points ahead of Sunday’s opponents.
Continuing to lead the way in the scoring charts is Raphinha. The Brazilian has eight goals to his name and has been involved in exactly 50% of all Leeds’ Premier League goals this season, taking his assists into account too.
Summer arrival Maxwel Cornet has netted five for the Clarets, after joining the club from Ligue 1 Lyon. The Ivory Coast international has been passed fit for the game and along with Raphinha, has the pace and flair to cause issues for defenders.
Burnley could move out of the relegation places with three points in this encounter, as they would go above Watford into 17th. The Whites are unlikely to change position with three points, due to goal difference, but the victory would be welcome in their quest to catch the teams above.
Manager/head coach:
Leeds: Marcelo Bielsa
Burnley: Sean Dyche
What Marcelo Bielsa said ahead of the match?
“Burnley is a team that is very stable, with few incorporations that are new. I’m referring to the fact the base of their team is pretty much always the same and their way of playing is very installed in the team and very incorporated. As a result, we don’t imagine a different type of game to the one we played against them previously, as last season and in this season, the characteristics are the same and the difficulties are the same.”
League position
Leeds: 16th
Burnley: 18th
Premier League form
Leeds: WDLLL
Burnley: DDLDL
Top scorer
Leeds: Raphinha (8)
Burnley: Maxwel Cornet (5)
Head to head
Leeds: 33
Draws: 12
Burnley: 18
A memorable moment against Burnley…
Team news
Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Junior Firpo, Dan James, Diego Llorente, Jack Harrison and Robin Koch are all now fit enough to play in the match, if selected. Patrick Bamford has also recovered but may not be involved just yet, whilst Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper and Charlie Cresswell remain on the sidelines.
Burnley may also be able to welcome a number of players back for Sunday’s game. Kevin Long, Jay Rodriguez, Nick Pope and top-scorer Maxwel Cornet are available, whilst Ashley Barnes, Josh Brownhill and Connor Roberts will all be missing from the squad.
Officials
Referee - Paul Tierney
Assistant Referee 1 - Simon Beck
Assistant Referee 2 - Adrian Holmes
Fourth Official - Michael Salisbury
Video Assistant Referee - Mike Dean
A key battle
Diego Llorente vs James Tarkowski
Take a look at some stats between two key central defensive players, on either side. Both Llorente and Tarkowski can be key for their team at both ends of the pitch, and this Premier League encounter is expected to be no different.
Latest odds
Leeds: 1/1
Draw: 13/5
Burnley: 13/5
How to watch
The match has not been selected for broadcast coverage. Live commentary is available as always on LUTV, with up to date blog coverage on leedsunited.com
Supporter information
The safety of everyone remains our priority and the Premier League and Leeds United will continue to take the necessary steps to create a safe matchday environment for all supporters. HERE is a reminder of all the new protocols that will be in place for our forthcoming game against Burnley.
