Leeds United Under-21s are just two wins away from winning promotion back to the top flight of English youth football. After almost a month without a fixture, Leeds return to action on Monday night as they travel to face their Stoke City counterparts at Nantwich Town’s Weaver Stadium and they know a result would be enough to see them take a significant stride towards the Premier League 2 Division 2 title.
United sit second in the table after seeing Southampton leapfrog them with a win over the Potters in their penultimate fixture on Friday night. However, Paco Gallardo’s side currently have a couple of games in hand over the Saints and as the season approaches its climax, seeing off Stoke would take them back to the summit and to within just two points of promotion with two matches still to play.
It’s been a memorable season for the U21s so far and as it stands they are assured of at least at a play-off place. However, they’ve had their eyes set on the title since being relegated from Division 1 last season and it seems they are on the cusp of achieving that goal.
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Beating Stoke would give Leeds the opportunity to wrap up the division and claim the only automatic promotion spot, next Sunday (April 23) when they take on Middlesbrough at the LNER Community Stadium in York. Failing that, the Whites would have a second opportunity when they round off their campaign with a trip to West Bromwich Albion on Friday April 28.
Southampton and Nottingham Forest will be watching how Leeds get on in Cheshire on Monday night closely. Both teams can still win the title and a slip up would certainly breathe life into their respective hopes of topping the division. Forest, who currently sit in third, level on points with Leeds, will finish their season this coming Friday with a clash against Aston Villa at Meadow Lane, while Southampton’s final game will be played at Carrow Road against Norwich City.
Monday night’s clash at Stoke is scheduled to kick-off at 7pm, just an hour before the senior side get underway at Elland Road against Liverpool. Such a clash is likely to have an impact on the side Gallardo is allowed to select, especially following Javi Gracia’s admission that a number of first-teamers missed training in the week due to issues.
That makes it difficult to predict an U21s line-up to face the Potters, but with so much on the line it’s clear the Spaniard will go with his strongest available XI. Kristoffer Klaesson isn’t expected to travel due to his first-team commitments as the third choice goalkeeper and that means Dani Van den Heuvel could be set to start between the sticks.
Diogo Monteiro, Jeremiah Mullen, Connor Ferguson and Kris Moore look set to make up the back four, but Leeds could be weakened in midfield given both Darko Gyabi and Archie Gray have been included in the senior squad in recent weeks. Sonny Perkins looks set to play for the U21s but Mateo Joseph could be the next cab off the rank should Gracia need attacking reinforcements.
Joe Snowdon and Charlie Allen will likely be involved, while Sean McGurk will be amongst those pushing for a start, too.
Predicted Leeds U21s line-up v Stoke: Dani Van den Heuvel; Kris Moore, Diogo Monteiro, Jeremiah Mullen, Connor Ferguson; Charlie Allen, Morten Spencer, Archie Gray, Joe Snowdon; Sonny Perkins, Mateo Joseph.
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