Unbeaten record at stake as key Leeds United strength threatens to wreck best-laid Millwall plans

Daniel Farke’s Leeds are still something of an unknown quantity in the second tier. United have lacked a cutting edge so far, unable to break teams down at home, leading to a succession of draws at Elland Road.

At St. Andrew’s Stadium last month, Leeds looked to be heading for a stalemate before Lukas Jutkiewicz’s last-minute penalty settled proceedings in Birmingham City’s favour. And then there was the seven-goal thriller at Portman Road where Ipswich Town gave as good as they got, but could not contend with the attacking talent in Farke’s £70 million front-line.

To say Leeds’ start to the season has been mixed would be an understatement, therefore knowing what to expect this weekend at The Den becomes mightily difficult.

One thing is for certain, though – Leeds have excelled in the air, both as a team and individually. Only Leicester City and Middlesbrough have recorded a higher aerial duel success rate after five matches, meanwhile the likes of Joe Rodon and Charlie Cresswell have both registered 80 per cent-and-above success rates in their respective aerial battles.

Only two teams across the division have contested as many aerial duels as Millwall this season, but the south Londoners have not been as successful as Leeds on that particular battleground.

Kevin Nisbet may be the home side’s dangerman with two goals from Millwall’s opening five, but it is their ability to create chaos in opposition penalty areas at set-piece opportunities that mainly helps the Lions find the back of the net. Corners, whipped free-kicks and long throws are all tactics Rowett can be expected to employ against Farke’s men.

Millwall are not a possession-based outfit, enjoying on average just 39.2 per cent of the ball – the fourth-lowest in the 2023/24 Championship. Instead, Sunday’s opponents make the most of set play situations, creating roughly a quarter of their shooting opportunities from dead ball scenarios, which is amongst the highest figures in the league.

Leeds’ aerial dominance, though, which will be spearheaded by Welsh international Rodon this weekend, is likely to throw a spanner in the works for Rowett’s side and force the seasoned coach into a few tweaks in order to uphold his unbeaten record against Farke.