Eight Leeds United changes at Aston Villa as striker returns and decision taken on new signing

Whites boss Jesse Marsch has made eight changes to the side that lined up in Sunday’s third round FA Cup clash at Cardiff City as Illan Meslier, Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch, Tyler Adams, Marc Roca, Jack Harrison and Rodrigo all come back into the side. Joel Robles, Rasmus Kristensen, Diego Llorente, Junior Firpo, Darko Gyabi, Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt and the injured Crysencio Summerville all drop out as Pascal Struijk, Brenden Aaronson and Willy Gnonto are the only three players to stay in the side from the Cardiff line up.

But the main headline comes on the bench through the return of Bamford who has not appeared in a Whites matchday squad since October’s 2-1 win at Liverpool in which he came on in the 52nd minute and set up the winning goal for Crysencio Summerville who himself is now out injured. Bamford then missed United’s final two games before the season’s World Cup break, during which the striker went to Munich for groin surgery.

Leeds were hoping to have the Whites no 9 back for the Christmas return against Manchester City but the striker’s recovery was delayed due to illness. But Whites boss Marsch revealed at Thursday’s pre-match press conference that Bamford was back in training and the 29-year-old is on the bench at Villa Park.

Marsch made seven changes to his side for Sunday’s third round FA Cup clash at Cardiff City for which Summerville, Struijk, Aaronson and Gnonto were the only players to start who also lined up in the midweek league hosting of West Ham United.

Robles, Kristensen, Llorente, Firpo, Gyabi, Greenwood and Gelhardt all came into the side as Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Adams, Roca and Rodrigo dropped out.

Meslier had a muscular issue with his kicking leg whilst Cooper and Koch were suffering from glute strains. Harrison and Roca were not at 100 per cent and therefore on the bench which featured new signing Wober who made his Whites debut in the second half. Adams, meanwhile, was rested by design due to the Achilles issue he suffered at the World Cup.

Luis Sinisterra, Adam Forshaw, longer term absentee Stuart Dallas and also Archie Gray were already known to be out injured. Summerville has now joined the injury list with an ankle injury that is set to keep him out for a month. Whites boss Marsch has taken the decision to keep Wober on the bench which also features Sunday’s FA Cup hero Sonny Perkins. Wober said after his second-half appearance at Cardiff that his first aim was to get 100 per cent fit following a recent four-week break.

Villa boss Unai Emery has made nine changes to the team that lined up in Sunday’s FA defeat at home to Stevenage Borough and one to the team that started the 1-1 draw at home to Wolves last midweek in the league. From the team that started against Wolves, Matty Cash – who was an injury doubt - drops out as Jacob Ramsey comes into the side. New signing Alex Moreno is on the bench.

Aston Villa: Martínez, A Young, Digne, Mings, Konsa, Kamara, Luiz, Ramsey, Buendía, Watkins, Bailey. Subs: Olsen, Coutinho, Ings, K Young, Chambers, Moreno, Sanson, Bednarek, Nakamba.

Leeds United: Meslier, Ayling, Cooper, Koch, Struijk, Adams, Roca, Aaronson, Harrison, Gnonto, Rodrigo. Subs: Robles, Firpo, Llorente, Wober, Kristensen, Greenwood, Gelhardt, Bamford, Perkins.