Leeds vs Blackburn Lineups, Preview, Prediction and Team News | EFL Championship, January 1, 2025

Leeds vs Blackburn Preview

• Tournament: EFL Championship 2024-25
• Date: Wednesday, January 1, 2025
• Time: 3:00 pm GMT
• Venue: Elland Road

A potentially exciting EFL Championship clash with see Leeds United host Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road on New Year’s Day. Both sides are vying for promotion to the Premier League next season.

Leeds finished third in the Championship table last season but missed out on promotion after losing 1-0 against Southampton in the play-off final. They will be eager to right the wrongs this season. They sit atop the table after 23 games with 14 wins, six draws, and three defeats. They sit level on points with second-placed Sheffield United but are ahead on goal difference.

Blackburn, meanwhile, finished 19^th last season but have shown immense improvement this season. They are fifth in the standings, 10 points behind Leeds with a game in hand. They have won 11, drawn five and lost six of their league games so far.

Hence, a win on Wednesday could be huge for either side in their pursuit of promotion.

Leeds Team News

Leeds will be without Ilia Gruev, Joe Gelhardt, Junior Firpo and Maximilian Wober against Blackburn due to their respective injuries.

Blackburn Team News

Blackburn will be without Arnor Sigurdsson, Harry Pickering, Hayden Carter, Lewis Travis, Scott Wharton and Zak Gilsenan due to their respective injuries.

Also Read: Norwich City vs QPR Prediction, Preview, Team News and Lineups | EFL Championship, December 29, 2024

Predicted Lineups

Leeds predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Illan Meslier

Defenders: Sam Byram, Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon, Jayden Bogle

Midfielders: Joe Rothwell, Ethan Ampadu, Brenden Aaronson

Attackers: Dan James, Joel Piroe, Wilfried Gnonto

Blackburn predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Aynsley Pears

Defenders: Callum Brittain, Dominic Hyam, Danny Batth, Owen Beck

Midfielders: Lewis Baker, Sondre Tronstad, Todd Cantwell

Attackers: Tyrhys Dolan, Yuki Ohashi, Ryan Hedges

Leeds vs Blackburn H2H Record

In their previous 19 meetings across competitions, each side have won eight matches while three matches have ended in draws.

Last 5 results:

Key Players to watch in Leeds vs Blackburn

Joel Piroe

While a lot of Leeds United’s attackers have been doing really well, Joel Piroe has stood out in particular. He is their top scorer this season with nine goals and four assists in 24 games across competitions.

Piroe joined Leeds from Swansea City in the summer of 2023 and has since contributed 23 goals and seven assists in 73 games. He has registered two goals and one assist in his last two appearances. Both of those goals game in their 2-0 win over Stoke City last time out. He will be keen to add to his tally on New Year’s Day.

Yuki Ohashi

The Japanese striker has gone through a terrible run of form but is still Blackburn’s top scorer this season with five goals and one assist in 23 games across competitions. He scored in their last match which was a 2-2 draw against Sunderland.

However, it was his first goal contribution after 16 games. Ohashi and Blackburn will hope that he can continue to add to his tally on Wednesday in a big game against Leeds.

Also Read: Derby County vs Leeds United Lineups, Preview, Prediction and Team News | EFL Championship, December 29, 2024

Leeds vs Blackburn Prediction

Leeds have been in terrific form this season and have just one defeat in their last nine games across competitions with seven wins and one draw. They are unbeaten in their last five games. They beat Derby County 2-0, and Middlesbrough 3-1 before drawing 1-1 against Preston North End.

They then beat Oxford United 4-0 and Stoke City 2-0 and will be keen to continue this run against Blackburn. The Rovers have seen a streak of six wins on the trot end in their last two games, losing one and drawing the other. They lost 1-0 against Millwall and drew 2-2 against Sunderland.

It’s important to note that Leeds will face Derby away and Blackburn will face Hull City at home on Sunday before facing each other. Hence, the injuries, form and table position could change before Wednesday’s clash.

However, considering their recent form, Leeds should be able to edge out another win with home advantage as well.

Predicted Score: Leeds 1-0 Blackburn

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