Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa watches on at St Mary's. Pic: GettyLeeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa watches on at St Mary's. Pic: Getty
Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa watches on at St Mary's. Pic: Getty

Leeds United's predicted line-up for Wolves as Marcelo Bielsa's injury woes refuse to ease

Leeds United host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon at Elland Road - but who will Marcelo Bielsa select to start?

The Whites return to top flight action this weekend following last week's defeat to Southampton at St Mary's on the south coast.

United are staring down the barrel at somewhat of an injury crisis with five first-team players all ruled out through injury once again.

Kalvin Phillips (calf/hip) has returned to training but Wolves will come to soon for him while Luke Ayling (knee) and Patrick Bamford (ankle) still have several weeks to go in their rehab.

Junior Firpo (muscle) is also out alongside long-term absentee Robin Koch (hip) who isn't expected back until late November at the earliest.

"Kalvin is healthy but he hasn't competed for three weeks," Bielsa told his pre-match press conference.

"Firpo is evolving quickly and well, I couldn't tell you exactly long he has left. For the next two games? No. From Norwich onwards he has chances of being back in the team.

"Ayling and Bamford are not going to be here for the next two games. Koch still has at least one month to go."

Wolves have favoured a 3-4-3 formation this season - with a lone striker and two wingers - which should see Leeds revert to a 4-1-4-1 formation away from the 3-3-1-3 unless Bielsa opts to stick to his guns.

United will have the same pool of players to choose from after the loss to the Saints - but who could fit where, especially with key man Kalvin Phillips absent from his usual anchor role?

Here, we take a look at how the Whites could line-up in LS11...

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.