New Leeds United boss Javi Gracia will be hoping for a second bite at the apple in better standing after his return to England in the wake of the club parting ways with Jesse Marsch. Gracia struggled during his stint at Watford back in 2018-19, with the former Spanish youth international tasked with righting the ship at Elland Road after Leeds embarked on a ten-match winless run dating back to November.
Thankfully, Leeds is only two points from securing temporary safety, and all it would take is a run of results to dramatically improve their situation in the table. The relegation six-pointer against bottom-dwellers Southampton would be the ideal match for Gracia to put the club back on track as quickly as possible.
Predicted Leeds United XI
Leeds United Team News
- Out: Rodrigo, Adam Forshaw, Stuart Dallas
- Doubt: Marc Roca, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Luis Sinisterra, Maximilian Wöber
Javi Gracia will take charge of his first Leeds match while already coming into a situation where he has numerous selection headaches to contend with.
The Spanish manager is guaranteed to be without Rodrigo, Adam Forshaw, and Stuart Dallas who remain sidelined without any updated timetable of return, but questions now surround five other first-team members.
Marc Roca, Maximilian Wöber, and Luis Sinisterra all face late assessments if they are to be included at Elland Road on Saturday, while Dutch defender Pascal Struijk will be hopeful of a return to the XI after recovering from a possible concussion. His absence last weekend only increases the odds that he will be ready to slot into the team.
