'Opportunity beckons' - Leeds United fans on Crystal Palace, Willy Gnonto decision & relegation battle boost
The YEP Leeds United jury look ahead to Saturday’s Premier League game against Crystal Palace.
Leeds
Neil Grewer
Despite Palace currently sitting in fifth place in the league and boasting good away form, this could be a good time for Leeds to play them under the lights, with a raucous atmosphere at Elland Road.
Palace play Thursday/Saturday/Tuesday and manager Oliver Glasner has suggested he will be making wholesale team changes, but their squad is not the strongest and they are without star players Daniel Munoz and Ismaila Sarr. So, opportunity beckons.
Team selections will be interesting for both teams with Palace juggling a pack around fixture congestion and Leeds juggling team formation. Daniel Farke’s team has a new lease of life now; they are easily able to change formation if required and Farke had demonstrated an increased willingness to make earlier and less predictable substitutions which, of late, have been reaping rewards.
The form of the two strikers has been encouraging whilst Ethan Ampadu is displaying the skill set we knew he had, and Anton Stach is showing quality such that the injuries to Dan James and Sean Longstaff are not biting at present.
Leeds must use this opportunity to take at least a point from the game.
Prediction: Leeds United 1 Crystal Palace 1.
Andy Rhodes
The festive fixture list in the Premier League isn’t quite the crunch run of games it is in the Football League, but this is still an important week for both Leeds United and Crystal Palace. Saturday’s visitors to Elland Road have two cup games either side of the league meeting and their focus is rumoured to be on two of the three games.
Leeds, meanwhile, will look for nothing less than three points. Palace will arrive in Beeston with the best away record in the division, having notched 16 points and conceded just five goals in eight away games. It won’t be easy for the Whites to win here but they should be high in confidence after some impressive results in recent weeks.
The key to maintaining this run will be keeping the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin fit. His signing is looking more and more shrewd by the week. After this, Leeds face tough games against Sunderland, Liverpool and Man United. Things never get any easier at elite level.
Prediction: Leeds United 2 Crystal Palace 2.
David Watkins
You would have thought that our recent good performances over the last three-and-a-half games would mean we could be a little bit more optimistic about the visit of Crystal Palace this weekend… and yet it still feels like a tough gig to me.
Palace have been one of the more consistent teams in the Premier League this season, and currently they sit fifth in the table. Ironically, their success might help Leeds, as Palace face three big games in the space of five days. The deadline for this preview meant we didn’t know the result of their UEFA Conference League game on Thursday night against Finnish side KuPS when we went to press, but that game was crucial to Palace’s chances of reaching the knockout stages.
Palace then face Leeds on Saturday night before travelling to Arsenal for a big Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday. That is a tough schedule, particularly since Palace are already missing several key players to long-term injuries. You would expect the Londoners to rotate several players over this period, and let’s hope they prioritise the cup competitions!
Another good performance by the Peacocks would mean we could all go home dreaming of a 'Whites' Christmas'.
Prediction: Leeds United 2 Crystal Palace 1.
Keith Ingham
Five points from three games is pretty impressive considering the opposition Leeds have faced. And a three-point gap from the bottom three is another statistic that not many thought they would have coming into a busy Christmas period.
Palace have had some good results but some poor ones that will encourage Daniel Farke’s squad. Last weekend, they were beaten by Man City but it was closer than 3-0. In their last two away games, they had wins at Fulham (2-1) and Burnley (1-0).
I’d expect Farke to stick with the XI that started against Brentford. The only possible change could be Willy Gnonto coming in for Noah Okafor, if Lukas Nmecha is still unavailable through injury. The likeable winger has produced enough in games against Liverpool and Brentford to suggest he is a good option alongside DCL up front.
The big plus is that we have at least options coming on from a pretty strong bench. I know Brenden Aaronson has his critics - I was one - but his energy has been a plus when he’s come on as a sub’. Since City, I’ve not gone for a Leeds win but they should beat Palace by a goal. It might not be a classic but it’ll be interesting for the full house.
Prediction: Leeds United 2 Crystal Palace 1.
Mike Gill
To end 2025, United welcome in-form Crystal Palace to Elland Road before an extraordinarily long Christmas break. Despite their recent reverse against Manchester City, the Eagles are flying high.
They do have a lot to contend with at the moment having a midweek Europa Conference tie this week as well as the Carabao Cup next week which is one reason for the bizarre kick-off time. The Whites are growing in confidence and must surely be anticipating this clash in a good frame of mind.
Both Burnley and West Ham face tricky away fixtures, so Leeds must surely see this game as a golden opportunity to improve their position. It's great to see the use of the squad, with Willy Gnonto and Brenden Aaronson making telling contributions even though they're not in the starting line-up.
All we need now is for Joel Piroe to join the party with a late goal or two! Keep up the good work Leeds and let's say goodbye to 2025 with a flourish.
Prediction: Leeds United 2 Crystal Palace 1.