Preview: Rotherham United vs. Leeds United - prediction, team news, lineups

Leeds United make the short trip to face Rotherham United on Friday night looking for the victory that will close the gap on the top two in the Championship standings.

In sharp contrast, Rotherham are four points adrift of safety and without a manager after they opted to part ways with Matt Taylor.

Match preview

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Daniel Farke has gotten used to Leeds being an attacking force this season, scoring at least three goals in five of their last 14 matches in all competitions.

Nevertheless, the German would have taken the positives from how his side have battled their way to victories over Leicester City and Plymouth Argyle.

The 1-0 success at leaders Leicester speaks for itself, with that triumph also ending a run of four games without a clean sheet, and Leeds had control of their game with Plymouth before the deficit was halved in the 84th minute.

All things considered, Farke knows that points on the board matter at this stage with Leeds attempting to close down an eight-point gap to the runaway front two.

Despite their recent results, Leeds have not always impressed on their travels, already losing three of their eight games away from Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Rotherham have an interim team of Wayne Carlisle, Scott Brown and Dan Green after the decision was made to sack Taylor after the last game.

That was a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Watford, just four days after the Millers had earned an impressive 2-2 draw at home to second-placed Ipswich.

Rather than give Taylor more time, a return of 11 points from 15 games in 2023-24 - five of those points coming in their most recent five outings - was deemed enough to opt for a change in direction.

Rotherham would have expected a permanent appointment at this stage with the international break having taken place, but it appears that nothing is imminent, leaving one of the minnows of the division heading into the unknown ahead of facing one of the league's giants.

Team News

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A wide array of changes are expected to be made to the Rotherham XI, with Jamie Lindsay potentially earning his first appearance of the season due to injuries to Sam Clucas and Cafu.

Having had two more weeks to improve his fitness, Daniel Ayala could feature in the back three, while Georgie Kelly will expect a recall in attack.

Dexter Lembikisa will need to be assessed having played the full 90 minutes of Jamaica's 3-2 victory over Canada on Tuesday night.

Junior Firpo is in line to replace the injured Sam Byram at left-back, while Patrick Bamford will likely replace Georginio Rutter who is carrying an abdominal strain.

Ethan Ampadu represented Wales as recently as Tuesday and will need to be assessed; the alternative is to recall Luke Ayling and move Archie Gray into midfield.

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Johansson; Lembikisa, Peltier, Morrison, Ayala, Revan; Rathbone, Tiehi, Lindsay; Kelly, Nombe

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Cooper, Firpo; Ampadu, Kamara; James, Piroe, Summerville; Bamford

We say: Rotherham United 1-4 Leeds United

With this being a derby and one of their toughest fixtures on the calendar, Rotherham may play with a sense of freedom. Nevertheless, we expect Leeds to continue their recent resurgence, producing a ruthless performance to keep Leicester and Ipswich looking over their shoulder.

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