Leeds will take to the field against 20th-placed LaLiga club Elche tonight in their first of three mid-season friendlies during this World Cup break. The Whites are also scheduled to take on Real Sociedad and AS Monaco at Elland Road later this month, in preparation for the visit of Manchester City on December 28.
Head coach Jesse Marsch tweeted the following ahead of tonight’s fixture: “The lads have been working really hard here at training camp in Spain. We're looking forward to a good match against Elche tomorrow, always with an eye on our first game back after the break against Man City.”
He is expected to name a strong line-up against the Spaniards this evening with four changes in the offing from their last run-out in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur a month ago. Some of those changes have been enforced, due to illness and the FIFA World Cup, rendering Illan Meslier, Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams and Rasmus Kristensen unavailable.
1. Joel Robles
Spanish 'keeper Joel Robles will feature in goal due to Illan Meslier and Kris Klaesson's absences (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) Photo: David Rogers
2. Luke Ayling
Luke Ayling will start at right-back as Rasmus Kristensen enjoys time off following Denmark's World Cup exit (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images) Photo: David Rogers
3. Robin Koch
Robin Koch has been a consistent performer in central defence (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Photo: Stu Forster
4. Liam Cooper
Leeds look more secure with skipper Liam Cooper at the heart of defence (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images) Photo: Harriet Lander
5. Pascal Struijk
Pascal Struijk will continue at left-back and narrowly missed out on the Netherlands squad for the World Cup last month (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images) Photo: Paul Harding
6. Marc Roca
Marc Roca is familiar with LaLiga opposition having come through the ranks at Espanyol (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) Photo: George Wood