Team predictions

3 changes, James at wing-back: The Leeds United XI Jesse Marsch should field v Chelsea on Wednesday night

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Leeds United face Chelsea at Elland Road looking to pick up any result to help their survival bid, and Jesse Marsch has a few selection headaches.

Leeds have three games to save themselves from relegation after seeing back-to-back defeats push them into the relegation zone, as Everton picked up a win over Leicester.

It doesn’t get much easier for Leeds after losing to Arsenal, as they now face Chelsea at home, who are on a bad run of form but still look on course for a Champions League place.

Fresh blows to his squad have come with players returning to the fold for Marsch, and here, we take a look at the side that we think the boss should play against the Blues…

It’s likely to be a back five again from Marsch as he hopes to tighten up the defence, and he’s boosted by the return of Liam Cooper, as he confirmed in the pre-match press conference that he is back in the side.

In goal, we expect Illan Meslier, who despite his howler against Arsenal, is a core reason for why Leeds actually have a fighting chance of staying up this term.

The three centre-backs we think should feature are Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and the returning skipper Cooper, providing much more stability to a side that looked so shaky in the first half against the Gunners.

On either flank of the defence, we think it could be a chance for Marsch to utilise Dan James as a wing-back, after seeing him impress there in the second half at the Emirates, while Junior Firpo stays on the left side.

Who wins on Wednesday night?

Leeds

Leeds

Chelsea

Chelsea

Luke Ayling needs replacing for the rest of the season thanks to his truly baffling decision to two-foot Gabriel Martinelli and pick up a three-match ban, and James could be a viable solution.

James’ speed, energy and willingness to get stuck in might be enough to cause a lot of problems for Chelsea building momentum with their own wing-backs.

In a midfield pair, we think another change could be on the cards based on what we saw at the weekend, with Lewis Bate coming in for Mateusz Klich.

Klich is a much more experienced option which might get him the nod over Bate, but Bate’s impact off the bench to spread the play against Arsenal showed he’s ready for senior chances, and throwing him in at the deep end might actually suit him.

Kalvin Phillips keeps his place and while he’s not looked like his Bielsaball best recently, his 93% passing accuracy last time out shows he’s still the strong presence we need.

In an attacking trio, we expect Raphinha and Jack Harrison to play either side of Rodrigo, who will have thought he should have done better with his last-gasp chance to head in an equaliser.

Some actual width would be a real bonus after seeing the side play in crowded areas far too often lately, nd these three would bring that, along with the wing-backs behind them.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.