Leeds United will host Crystal Palace at Elland Road on Saturday, December 20 local time with confidence slowly growing. The Whites are looking to extend their Premier League unbeaten run to four games, while Palace come to Yorkshire with a mission to bounce back after a gruelling week, both physically and mentally.
Leeds arrive at this match with a promising trend. Since Daniel Farke switched to a 3-5-2 system, Leeds' performance has looked more alive and functional. A 1-1 draw at Brentford last week extended their unbeaten run to three games, a significant progress for a team that had previously been trapped in a negative spiral.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is once again the symbol of this revival. The former Everton striker scored for the fourth Premier League game in a row, tying the score after Leeds went ahead. His individual performance is in line with Leeds' collective improvement, which is now starting to be more clinical in front of the goal. After scoring only 10 goals in the first 11 games of the season, Leeds matched that number in just the last five games, accompanied by a surge in final finishing effectiveness.
Positive results against Liverpool, victory over Chelsea, and competitive performance against Manchester City have put Leeds in 17th place, three points above the relegation zone. Elland Road has become a stage that is almost always full of goals, with Leeds scoring and conceding in their last six Premier League home games, a sign that entertainment is almost always guaranteed.
Crystal Palace comes with a more complicated story. The 0-3 defeat to Manchester City last week felt cruel, not because Palace performed poorly, but because of the failure to maximize opportunities. Almost two expected goals were created, but the blunt finishing punished them mercilessly by Pep Guardiola's efficient machine.
The defeat halted Palace's three-match winning streak in all competitions. However, their position in the standings is still quite solid. Palace is just outside the top four, only two points behind Chelsea and on par with several other big teams. The problem is, the busy schedule is starting to test their consistency.
Palace had just played a Conference League game on Thursday night, although Oliver Glasner was smart enough to field a young team and keep the core players. The 2-2 draw against KuPS still drained energy, and the away game at Elland Road always demands high intensity.
Historically, Palace have fond memories of this stadium, including a 5-1 thrashing in the 2022-2023 season. However, they have never beaten Leeds in two consecutive top-flight games, a record still waiting to be broken.
In terms of team news, Leeds are confirmed without Lukas Nmecha who has not recovered from a hamstring injury. Sean Longstaff and Daniel James are still sidelined, making Farke likely to field the same lineup as last week. Calvert-Lewin will return to the main focus and have the chance to make history as the fourth Leeds player to score in five consecutive Premier League games.
Crystal Palace also came up with a pretty long list of absences. Daichi Kamada, Daniel Munoz, Cheick Doucoure, Chadi Riad, and several other names are still injured, while Ismaila Sarr is absent due to the African Cup of Nations. Eddie Nketiah is predicted to get the chance to appear from the start to support Jean-Philippe Mateta in the front line, with Will Hughes and Adam Wharton setting the tempo in the midfield.
With the condition of both teams, this match has the potential to run open. Leeds is confident, fit, and playing in front of their own public. Palace has more mature individual quality, but their consistency is often disrupted when the schedule starts to get busy.
Predictions point to a thrilling and balanced match. Leeds United and Crystal Palace are expected to share the points in a 2-2 draw, a score that feels logical for a duel between two equally progressive teams, but still has gaps in the defense.
Player Forecast
Leeds United: Perri; Struijk, Rodon, Bijol; Bogle, Stach, Tanaka, Ampadu, Gudmundsson; Okafor, Calvert-Lewin
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Nketiah, Pino; Mateta.
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