Beren Cross
Determining the best midfield balance for Leeds United and hoping Stuart Dallas is proven fit to play seem to be the major factors ahead of Sunday.
Assuming Dallas is able to play, he starts, of course. There is a temptation to bring him into the middle of the park and shuffle Pascal Struijk across to left-back.
However, Struijk, as impressive as he was at full-back in November, is definitely better in the centre and cannot quite match Dallas’s impact down that left flank.
Junior Firpo is also not someone I would risk in a game as ferocious as Sunday’s from a standing start with no match time in the past month.
Furthermore, the fight for central midfield slots is competitive enough as it is without throwing Dallas into the mix too.
As has proven the case in each of the previous few editions of this feature, Adam Forshaw would come into the side as my defensive midfielder.
I remain unconvinced by Robin Koch in that position and the scars of the opening-day runaround Bruno Fernandes gave him put me off even more.
Rodrigo has arguably been United’s best player in the last two matches and his guile is needed to provide some additional attacking threat around the striker.
The Spain international’s defensive work still needs improvement, but his attacking flair is crucial if Leeds are going to score enough goals to win this match.
That leaves Mateusz Klich or Jamie Shackleton to play alongside Rodrigo and while his partnership with the former has been accused of frailties, it does seem like the best option with what’s available.
Forshaw could go in there, but Koch is unconvincing as the defensive midfielder. Dallas could go in there, but he’s probably going to be playing with an injury, while his left-back understudies are rusty (Firpo) or better elsewhere (Struijk).
The other change does come in attack. As impressive as Daniel James was at Aston Villa, Joe Gelhardt would get the nod from me to start on Sunday as a more natural option.
Beren’s XI: Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Dallas; Forshaw; Raphinha, Klich, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhardt.
Joe Donnohue
Manchester United at Elland Road is a big occasion and that calls for a big teamsheet.
We all suspect Marcelo Bielsa to stick to his guns and retain Daniel James as his number nine at the weekend, but for the sake of argument, there is always the chance he may deviate from his usual hierarchy and name Joe Gelhardt in attack.
James has done nothing to deserve to lose this spot, but unfortunately, it didn't work against Everton.
Jack Harrison could probably feel aggrieved at being dropped for one of the biggest games of the season, but Raphinha is a dead cert to start and James's insider information on this weekend's opponents make the pair too valuable for either to start on the bench.
Gelhardt offers more of a physical presence in attack, while James is a better proposition out wide despite recent performances.
Starting the 19-year-old would also send a clear message to the supporters and provide Elland Road with a mighty lift, not that it will need one, an hour before kick-off.
Pascal Struijk described the noise of the crowd as a 'push in the back' earlier this week. We all heard the reaction when Gelhardt was summoned from the bench against Burnley. Now imagine that from the start against Manchester United.
Elsewhere in the side, Adam Forshaw did enough in the second half at Everton to warrant an immediate recall to the XI. Mateusz Klich is the unfortunate man to drop out. Rodrigo's recent displays suggest he would be more of a mobile threat than the Polish international.
There is the temptation to try something different than Robin Koch in the defensive midfield role after Bruno Fernandes was able to evade his attention several times during the season opener at Old Trafford, but Bielsa doesn't have too many options.
Koch came into that role last August from a standing start, but now has consecutive appearances under his belt in that position.
At the back, the team almost picks itself, with Junior Firpo the only name some may disagree with. Stuart Dallas is in contention, but the tinge of doubt in Bielsa's press conference answer with regards to his fitness suggests a start may be beyond him so soon after his Goodison Park withdrawal.
Joe's XI: Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Firpo; Koch; Raphinha, Forshaw, Rodrigo, James; Gelhardt.
