| Ipswich Town 3 v 4 Leeds United SkyBet Championship Saturday, 26th August 2023 Kick-off 15:00 |  |
Top-of-the-Table Town Host Leeds Aiming to Maintain 100 Per Cent Start Friday, 25th Aug 2023 17:26 Top-of-the-table Town host Leeds United on Saturday aiming to maintain their 100 per cent start to the campaign and equal another club record. The Blues and Leicester City, who Town head on goal difference, are the only sides in the Championship still to drop a point this season. Kieran McKenna’s men, who last week established a new club all-competitions unbeaten record of 21 matches, will match the league undefeated record of 23 matches established under Sir Bobby Robson in 1979/80 if they win or draw with the Whites this weekend. McKenna, whose team is again set to be watched by a 29,000-plus sell-out or close-to-sell-out crowd, says he’s looking forward to the Blues’ highest-profile match of the season so far against a Leeds side which was relegated from the Premier League in May. “Really excited, I think it's a fantastic game for us,” he said. “I think we need to enjoy it as a club, and I won't keep going back to it all season, but coming from where we were maybe two years ago and where Leeds were two years ago to now be competing against them. “To be going into the game with everything we know is going to be there, it's going to be a full house, a great atmosphere, a team of players going out there fighting for the shirt and a great occasion for us to enjoy. “We know it's a massive challenge, they have fantastic players and are going to be a really strong team this year, I think. “But for us, it's a great chance to go out there and test ourselves against top-level opposition. I know we'll give it everything, and let's see where we are.”  Leeds, who are 19th in the early-season table having drawn two and lost one of their opening three league matches, are a squad still in a state of flux following their drop into the Championship, which has led to changes of personnel in their opening matches. Has that had an impact on the Blues’ preparations? “In a lot of ways, no,” McKenna reflected, “because a lot of your preparation will be more based on structure than individuals and they've been pretty consistent with their structure and their formations on and off the ball, and that isn't affected so much by individuals usually. “Then, whenever we get down to the nitty-gritty with our individual players on their direct opponent and their strengths and weaknesses, that can change according to who comes into the team. “And, of course, if new signings step onto the pitch, then we need to make sure that our players are individually ready for what to expect. “But in general, I think they’ve been pretty consistent with their tactical approach and what they look to do. And we've prepared for the areas where they're strong and we'll have to defend really well, and we've tried to prepare where we think we can go and try and impose ourselves on the game and try and give them problems as well.”
Leeds are led by former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke, who took over in the summer having been sacked by Borussia Mönchengladbach in his native Germany in June. “He's done very well and I came across his teams whenever they were in the Premier League,” McKenna said. “Pretty consistent in terms of the approach that his teams will take and he’s done very well in the division. It makes Leeds a strong outfit. “They've got Premier League players, top players, a very good manager and it makes them a good outfit. “But we're just excited to go and show what we can do and test ourselves against a really good team and try and impose ourselves on the game and show all the characteristics and the qualities that we're going to need to compete with Leeds. And if we do that, then let's see where we are at the end of the game.”
McKenna will start with Vaclav Hladky in goal with a forced change at right-back due to the groin strain Janoi Donacien picked up at QPR last week. Harry Clarke seems set to come into the starting line-up but with new signing Brandon Williams an alternative option, although not having played a senior game since his one match last season, Manchester United’s 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Burnley in December. Leif Davis will be at left-back. At the centre of the defence, Cameron Burgess is to be assessed in the morning due to an ankle problem. If the former Australian U23 international misses out, George Edmundson will probably come into the team alongside Luke Woolfenden. In central midfield, skipper Sam Morsy will be joined by Massimo Luongo, while Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and Nathan Broadhead will be the three behind the main striker. That will be George Hirst if the summer signing from Leicester is declared fit having also been run the rule over ahead of the game on Saturday due to an adductor issue. If not, McKenna will choose between Freddie Ladapo and Kayden Jackson.
For Leeds, winger Wilfried Gnonto has returned to training with the squad having refused to play in previous games as he agitated for a move elsewhere, while forward Luis Sinisterra is also back with the squad after some confusion over his contractual situation. Defender Leo Hjelde returns after a concussion but Wales international forward Daniel James, who worked with Blues boss McKenna at Manchester United, has an adductor injury. Forward Joe Gelhardt has a shoulder problem but has trained all week. Winger Ian Poveda is out with an abductor strain and midfielder Crysencio Summerville a groin strain, while forward Mateo Joseph is sidelined with an ankle injury. Long-serving central defender and club captain Liam Cooper is missing due to a ruptured plantar fascia, the same injury as Town keeper Christian Walton. Striker Patrick Bamford (hamstring) and left-back Junior Firpo (knee) are out until after the international break along with Stuart Dallas, who is a long-term absentee after breaking his leg the season before last. The Whites completed the signing of Swansea striker Joel Piroe for £10.5 million yesterday, subject to a work permit and international clearance, which may not have come in time for his involvement in Saturday’s match. Leeds boss Farke was impressed with what he saw of Town last season, which he says has given the Blues belief going into this campaign. “I have to give them lots of praise because they had a fantastic last season, and a fantastic start to this season also,” he said. “It is quite normal after promotion that you also play with confidence and I think they are 21 league games without defeat. “It is impressive and always when you’re flying you play with rhythm, confidence and bravery. They’re a really good side and I have a lot of respect for the work there. “For their start, they are the team of the moment and I have no doubts about this, but we are Leeds United and we know our strengths. “It’s important for us that we are concentrated on bringing a same level of performance like in the last home game. “If we deliver such a level of performance and a bit more efficiency in both boxes, we have a good chance to travel back with the points.” Leeds started the season with a 2-2 draw with Cardiff at Elland Road, then lost 1-0 away at Birmingham City, before another home draw, 1-1 with West Brom last week. Their only victory this season was a 2-1 success against League One Shrewsbury in the Carabao Cup following the draw with the Bluebirds. Historically, Leeds have the superior record in games against the Blues, winning 33 (32 in the league) clashes between the teams. Town have been victorious on 29 (24) occasions and 21 (18) games have ended in draws. The Blues are unbeaten in five at home against Leeds with the Whites’ last win on Suffolk soil a 2-1 success in August 2013. Town are currently unbeaten in 22 games at home in all competitions, stretching back to Lincoln City’s smash-and-grab 1-0 win in October. The teams last met on the final day of Town’s 2018/19 Championship relegation season when Collin Quaner’s 90th-minute goal saw the ten-man Blues to a 3-2 home victory. Flynn Downes gave the Blues the lead on the half-hour but Mateusz Klich equalised for Leeds just before the break, then Andre Dozzell added Town’s second two minutes after the restart. Stuart Dallas again levelled for the Whites, who were already guaranteed a place in the play-offs, in the 76th minute before Blues skipper Luke Chambers was red-carded for bringing down Kemar Roofe, who missed the resultant penalty. Town looked set for a point until Quaner profited from a mix-up between Leeds keeper Kiko Casilla and full-back Luke Ayling to seal the win. The teams last met at Elland Road in October 2018 in what proved to be Paul Hurst’s last match in charge of Town with owner Marcus Evans wielding the axe the following afternoon. Roofe and Cooper were on target as the Blues were comfortably defeated 2-0 by Leeds at Elland Road as the Whites returned to the top of the table. Roofe put the West Yorkshiremen ahead in the 22nd minute and skipper Cooper added the second on 66 with Town never looking like taking anything from the game once they had gone behind. Blues left-back Davis joined Town from Leeds in the summer of 2022 having spent four years at Elland Road after moving to their academy from Morecambe aged 18. The full-back made six starts and eight sub appearances for the Whites. Saturday’s referee is former Premier League official Bobby Madley, who has shown 16 yellow cards and one red in three games so far this season. West Yorkshire-based Madley left his top flight role in August 2018 after making and texting a video which made fun of a disabled person which was then made known to his employers. He returned to refereeing in this country in 2020 following a spell officiating in the lower leagues in Norway. Madley’s two most recent Town matches were both defeats to Bolton Wanderers. In January 2021, he was the man in the middle for the Blues’ 2-0 loss in Lancashire, boss McKenna’s first defeat since taking over and still his only reverse by more than one goal. Burns, Walton and James Norwood were among five players cautioned. Prior to that, Madley was in charge of the 5-2 loss to Bolton in September 2021 in which he booked Kane Vincent-Young, against whom he also correctly awarded the Trotters’ penalty, and two of the visitors. Before that, he took control of the 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley in March of the same year, the day Paul Cook took charge as Blues boss with the new manager watching from the stands. Madley booked James Wilson and three home players as well as showing Seamus Conneely a later-rescinded straight red card in the 16th minute for a foul on Troy Parrott in the penalty area. The resultant spot-kick taken by Norwood was saved. He also refereed the 0-0 draw at Oxford United in December 2020 in which he booked Dozzell. Before that he refereed the 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in April 2016 in which he yellow-carded Luke Chambers, Kevin Bru, Brett Pitman and one Owl. Madley was also in charge of the 1-1 draw at AFC Bournemouth in April 2015 in which he again booked Chambers and one home player. His only other Blues match was the 1-0 home victory over Blackpool in February 2013 in which he cautioned only Guirane N’Daw. Squad from: Hladky, Slicker, Clarke, Ball, Woolfenden, Burgess, Edmundson, Baggott, Davis, Williams, Morsy (c), Evans, Luongo, Taylor, Humphreys, Burns, Jackson, Chaplin, Broadhead, Harness, Aluko, Hutchinson, Hirst, Ladapo.
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