Leeds United vs Derby County. Sky Bet Championship.
Elland RoadAttendance34,741.
Watch live on Sky Sports Football from midday on Saturday; Kick-off is at 12.30pm
Saturday 21 September 2019 12:28, UK
Leeds face Derby in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday. Coverage gets underway live on Sky Sports Football from midday, while kick-off is at 12.30pm.
Midfielder Adam Forshaw again misses out for Leeds as they prepare to renew hostilities with Derby. County dumped Leeds out of the play-offs last season, rounding off a season of bad blood between the sides, but Forshaw will miss the first chance of exacting revenge due to a hip problem.
He sat out last week's 2-0 win at Barnsley which sent Leeds back to the top and Jamie Shackleton deputised well so should get the nod again. Manager Marcelo Bielsa must decide whether to give winger Helder Costa and striker Eddie Nketiah starts from the off after consistently impressive displays from the bench.
Derby have lost manager Frank Lampard and a host of players since that May play-off showdown and new boss Phillip Cocu heads to Elland Road having won just one of his seven league games. He will be without midfielder Tom Lawrence, who is banned having picked up five bookings already.
Full-back Jayden Bogle has been suffering with injury and had missed the last six games, while Ikechi Anya (calf) and Andre Wisdom have both failed to play so far this season. Craig Forsyth (knee) is also a doubt.
With early leaders Swansea slipping to a late defeat at home to Nottingham Forest last Saturday, Leeds took advantage by beating local rivals Barnsley 2-0 to replace them at the top of the pile. A week earlier, the Swans had, in fact, beaten Marcelo Bielsa's men, though that was the maiden blip in an otherwise strong start, where they've conceded just three goals.
Down at Pride Park, the tide is yet to turn, however. Phillip Cocu's men are yet to hit the heights expected of them and one win in seven league games has left them languishing in 19th in the Championship standings. That victory came against Huddersfield on the opening day but more recently, they exited the international break with a 1-1 draw with Cardiff, following successive 3-0 defeats to Brentford and Nottingham Forest.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa: "Cocu is a manager with a lot of prestige. He has a link with ball possession and both creative and dynamic play, but with a new manager, adaptation needs time.
"He is a manager trying to impose his own style and absences, injuries and the new style, have all had an impact on the team. The performances Derby have had is better than the results they've had and their play they have does not reflect the table."
Derby boss Phillip Cocu: "I know it was a big rivalry in the 1970s and also with the games last season and the play-offs. It's all part of the history between the clubs and that's what it is, a big game. You cannot run away and hide from the rivalry, it is good to play these kinds of matches that have that bit more about them.
"I was encouraged by what I saw from the team last week. I was happy both in terms of attitude and mentality in the game and also the way we tried to play football. It was a good reaction to the loss at Brentford and we have new fresh energy in the team. We've had a useful week with the team to continue our work and we have a big game coming up.
"I am convinced that we are not far off and we have spoken about details in the game."
Leeds and Derby were involved in one of the most heated rivalries the Championship has seen in recent years. Of course, it had already been established long ago, namely during the reigns of Don Revie and Brian Clough during the late-1960s and early 1970s.
But it moved up another level during the 2018/19 season. First - and most importantly - there was 'Spygate': The scandal that involved Marcelo Bielsa sending a member of staff to the Rams' training ground to covertly reveal details of their tactics. Days after the incident became public knowledge, Leeds won the hotly-anticipated battle between the two sides 2-0 at Elland Road.
Fate then brought the two together in the play-offs at the end of the season. Though Frank Lampard got his own back by guiding Derby to the final at Wembley, they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa meaning this clash fixture takes place in the Championship once again.
This is the first meeting between Leeds and Derby since the Championship play-off semi-final second leg in May 2019 - Derby came from 1-0 down to win 4-2 and progress to the final 4-3 on aggregate.
Derby are looking to win consecutive matches against Leeds in all competitions for the first time since a run of 10 wins between December 2006 and October 2013.
Leeds striker Eddie Nketiah is averaging a goal every 62 minutes in all competitions for the Whites this season, scoring four times in 246 minutes of action.
Derby are winless in six matches in all competitions (W0 D3 L3), their longest run without a win since a run of eight under Gary Rowett between February and March 2018.
Excluding play-offs, Leeds' Ezgjan Alioski has been involved in four goals in his last three league games against Derby County (2 goals, 2 assists).
Derby have drawn their last three Championship matches when scoring the first goal, including in their last match at home to Cardiff City.
Well well! Safe to say this is a fixture with a bit of recent history behind it. We may not have Frank Lampard involved anymore but after Spygate and that play-off semi-final, second leg there should be plenty of needle at Elland Road on Saturday.
Leeds are top of the table heading into the weekend and the gap between themselves and Derby looks to have grown this season. I can't see past this being a home win.
David Prutton predicts: 2-0 (13/2 with Sky Bet)