A round-up of this morning's Leeds United headlines on Saturday, 31 December.
Leeds United part of chasing pack in race to sign Swiss midfielder
Sky Sports Germany claims Leeds United are among a number of European clubs in the race to sign FC Luzern midfielder Ardon Jashari. The news outlet claims Celtic, Napoli, Frankfurt and RB Leipzig are all in the race for the Swiss club captain.
At just 20-years-old, Jashari captains his current club and was recently part of Switzerland's World Cup squad in Qatar. Reports suggest a bid of £6.2 million could be enough to prize the midfielder away from the Swiss club.
However, Leipzig and Frankfurt are reported to be leading the race for his signature. Sky in Germany claims the Bundesliga duo are intent on securing a deal.
Leeds United can keep January transfer saga at bay and break injury curse vs Newcastle United
Is the pack shuffled?
The last time Leeds United encountered a congested bout of fixtures, Jesse Marsch was not afraid to ring the changes. Four days after an unfortunate loss to Arsenal and three days before a painful loss to Fulham, Leicester City was where the head coach felt he had to save some legs.
Three days after losing to Manchester City and four days before hosting West Ham United, Marsch will again have to judge which players can best retain his desired intensity. Luke Ayling, Junior Firpo, Diego Llorente, Jack Harrison, Mateusz Klich, Crysencio Summerville and Joe Gelhardt are all players you sense Marsch would have no problem starting.
Who does Tyler Adams replace?
The one name we can virtually guarantee will be starting is Tyler Adams. The USA captain is fresh to play after a suspension in midweek and will surely be champing at the bit to get going once more.
You can read more here.
Leeds United squad revealed for Newcastle with just one change from Man City
Leeds United round off the calendar year of 2022 with a difficult away trip to high-flying Newcastle. The Whites currently sit 15th heading into the fixture and face a Newcastle side who have lost just once all season and are unbeaten on home soil.
Jesse Marsch's side were beaten 3-1 by Manchester City in their last outing on Wednesday, but will gladly welcome Tyler Adams back to the squad at St. James' Park. Adams served a one-match ban for the red card he picked up against Tottenham before the World Cup break and is likely to come straight back into the XI against the Magpies.
Leeds have 48 hours less time to prepare than their opponents for this afternoon's match and given the short turn around, Marsch could be tempted to make changes. Jack Harrison and Crysencio Summerville are both in contention to start after they were unused substitutes in midweek.
Newcastle United insider wary of 'ruthless' Leeds United but makes weak link claim
Leeds United will be looking to end 2022 on a high this afternoon as they head to high flyers Newcastle United. The Whites have lost their last two in the Premier League, but they will be keen to add to their points tally today and halt the progress of Newcastle, who currently sit third in the table, behind just Manchester City and Arsenal.
Ahead of the game, we caught up with The Chronicle’s Aaron Stokes to get the inside track on the Magpies.
From the outside looking in it seems this season could not have gone any better for Newcastle, sum up the mood at St James’ Park right now…
The mood on Tyneside right now is one that hasn’t been felt for over 20 years. Eddie Howe and the players are adored and what they have achieved in 2022 will live long in the memory. From being relegation candidates to top four contenders in less than 12 months is surreal. This set of players believe they can beat anyone and fans agree!
Pundits' predictions as Leeds United backed for another tough day at the office vs Newcastle
Leeds United finish the calendar year of 2022 with a tough away trip to high-flying Newcastle United. The Whites sit 15th in the table and have lost their last matches either side of the World Cup break, so will be looking to bring that run to an end on New Year's Eve.
They could not have asked for a much more difficult game, though, with Newcastle currently third in the table with 10 wins from their last 11 matches in all competitions. The Magpies are also unbeaten on home soil so far this term and so Leeds will need to be at their best to get a result.
FiveThirtyEight - a website which uses statistical data to predict the outcome of matches - has Newcastle as overwhelming favourites with a 66% chance of winning, in comparison to just 15% for Leeds. Pundits have also been giving their verdict on the match and we have rounded them up for you.
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