Leeds United predicted XI gallery v Rotherham United with six changes and possible refresh needed

The Whites go into the Championship game on the back of a gruelling 120-minute FA Cup tie in atrocious conditions at Plymouth Argyle. Despite their dominance and superiority, Leeds were unable to get the job done in regulation time and needed extra-time to score three goals and eventually ease through to the fifth round and a trip to Chelsea. Despite the extra, unwanted load that Farke’s players had to go through, the changes he made to the starting line-up and the substitutions he made during the game ensured that the burden was mostly shared across the squad.

Of the players considered likely to start against Rotherham United, only Illan Meslier, Junior Firpo, Joe Rodon and Ilia Gruev lasted the entire two-hour distance in midweek. That does bring up the possibility of Farke needing to freshen up in certain areas, but he will be making alterations in any case to bring some of his first-choice players back into the line-up.

The good news for Leeds, however, is the form of players who were previously struggling to make an impact and how competitive the squad has become because of their recent uptick. Willy Gnonto, Gruev and Patrick Bamford are the three most obvious examples. Gnonto scored his second goal in two games at Plymouth, while Bamford has made himself an important part of the attack after sitting on the bench for the vast majority of the first months of the campaign. Gruev’s emergence as a really solid option in midfield has given Farke real depth in that area. Here’s the XI the YEP can see taking to the pitch at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.