Saturday 18th March, 3:00pm | Elland Road
It has been a good week to be a Leeds United supporter. The image of Okafor wheeling away in front of the Stretford End, the travelling fans bouncing long after the final whistle and Farke punching the air on the touchline have been replayed plenty of times since. A first league win at Old Trafford in 45 years will do that. The city has had a spring in its step all week, and this afternoon Elland Road gets the chance to build on it. Wolves come to LS11 in desperate circumstances, and a home win today could push Leeds to within touching distance of confirmed safety.
Farke confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he has no fresh injury concerns following Monday's win, the squad available for Saturday is the same one that made history on the night. The absentees remain significant with Anton Stach and Joe Rodon both out with ankle ligament injuries not expected back until May at the earliest. Daniel James is also sidelined with an adductor strain picked up on international duty. The concern going into the week was Ao Tanaka, who limped off in the second half at Old Trafford looking in real discomfort but Farke confirmed he has come through unscathed. A significant boost, given his displays over the past two games.
For Wolves, Rob Edwards arrives at Elland Road without his first-choice centre-back Yerson Mosquera, suspended for two games after collecting his tenth yellow card of the season at West Ham. Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone remains absent with a shoulder injury that Edwards admitted could end his season, while midfielder Enso Medina is also unavailable. There is better news in the form of Matt Doherty, who has trained this week and is pushing for involvement with Edwards "weighing up the risk". Toti Gomes is also in contention having been an unused substitute last Friday. Edwards was keen to stress after the West Ham defeat that the 4-0 scoreline did not reflect the game, pointing to a solid first half before things unravelled.
The tactical question for Farke is an interesting one. Leeds were devastating at Old Trafford they pressed aggressively, won the ball high and played at pace in transition. With Rob Edwards having absolutely nothing to lose, Wolves might as well come at Leeds, but then again they may respond to the trashing dished out to them by West Ham and opt for a more cautious approach. Farke acknowledged the quandary this poses, "It depends how it looks. Different if you can invite them into pressure versus them being deep and having to be more patient. Perhaps it doesn't look as aggressive but it is important to keep creating chances."
With Bijol, Struijk and Justin expected to continue at the heart of defence and Tanaka fit to anchor midfield alongside Ampadu, Farke is likely to name an unchanged starting eleven. The key question further forward is whether Aaronson and Okafor, the latter in the form of his life after his brace on Monday, can find pockets of space, and whether Calvert-Lewin can convert the kind of chances that were delivered to a plate for him on Monday night.
A win on Saturday would move Leeds nine points clear of Spurs who play Brighton in the 5:30pm kick off. With just five games remaining it’s a gap that would represent near-certain safety. Should West Ham avoid defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday evening, it would simultaneously confirm Wolves' relegation to the Championship. Farke's message all week has been deliberate: acknowledge Old Trafford, respect it, then move on. "Nothing is achieved yet," he said. Saturday is where that attitude gets its next test.
