Leeds United’s last friendly fixture against Oxford United was a cliched ‘game of two halves’, something of a Jekyll and Hyde performance.
There are just two games left of Leeds United’s pre-season for Marcelo Bielsa to hone and fine tune the side that he wants to be the core of the 2018/19 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
Sunday’s game against Las Palmas at Elland Road is likely to see the Argentinian coaching legend send out his strongest side, his ‘Championship side’ so-to-speak.
Tonight’s game against local neighbours Guiseley is a fixture where the Whites can look to make amends for a first-half horror show at the Kassam where a lacklustre Leeds turned around 3-0 down.
Heading in to the game, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Lee Sobot gives the following insights:
Bit of team news for tonight, Bielsa expected to name a similar side to the one which faced Oxford, set to save his strongest side for Sunday’s friendly against Las Palmas. But Blackman, Baker, Vieira and Klich could all feature. #lufc
— Lee Sobot (@LeeSobotYEP) July 26, 2018
Lee Sobot’s tweet (above) gives an indication that the Whites are likely to travel the short distance to Nethermoor with a mix of youngsters and fringe players, with the odd first-team player thrown in to the mix for match practice.
The four names that Sobot mentions in Blackman, Baker, Vieira and Klich will all be in or about the first team set-up next season. The most surprising of that quartet is Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich.
Forgotten under Thomas Christiansen and sent out on loan, he enjoyed something of an ‘Indian summer’ at FC Utrecht. This form has continued and he looks to be forcing the hand of Bielsa with growingly accomplished displays in pre-season games thus far.
