Two of Yorkshire’s finest come face to face in a Championship clash

Promotion hopefuls, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday clash in a Yorkshire derby at Elland Road.

Both sides have had mixed results over the Christmas period. The away side have lost their last three games in the league which has seen them slip from third to eighth. Although they find themselves in the FA Cup fourth round following their 1-0 victory at Brighton.

Leeds, on the other hand, have won two of the last six games, this has picked up some frantic results including a 3-3 draw with Cardiff City and a 5-4 win away at Birmingham.

None the less they are currently top of the Championship and picked up a 1-1 draw at fellow promotion (and title) rivals West Brom. They also put in an admirable display at Arsenal in the cup on Monday, despite losing 1-0.

Both of these sides are seen in many supporters eyes as two of the biggest clubs in England, however, both of these sides have been in exile from the Premier League for over 15 years, Leeds were relegated in 2004, while Wednesday has been away since 2000.

They have been close in recent seasons but have fallen short. But they will both be hoping they can end their absence and join fellow Yorkshire rivals, Sheffield United in the top flight in August.

These two know how important this game is in their seasons. Firstly it’s a derby match so pride and bragging rights will come into play, but will, of course, help them in their promotion push if either team pick up three points this week.

The previous clash was a 0-0 draw at Hillsborough in October in what was one of the most entertaining games of the season.

Team news

For Leeds, Pablo Hernandez, Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton are all back in training, but Hernandez is least likely to feature. Adam Forshaw is out with a hip injury. Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling were deemed fine by Leeds Boss Marcelo despite picking up knocks at the Emirates.

For Sheffield Wednesday – Steven Fletcher is a doubt with a knee injury

Marcelo Bielsa on the threat Wednesday pose

“Sheffield (Wednesday) is a team that has good attackers in the centre and front. They have three good wingers. They also have three important midfielders and one solid defensive line. That means that they have enough players to build a good team.”

Garry Monk has praised Leeds for the way they’ve stepped up following their disappointment in last seasons’ play-offs.

“I think they are very similar to what they were last year. I think they would say that themselves,”

“They felt they should have done it last year, they have probably learned from that experience and gained that experience to take into this year.

“I think when you have that, a bit of continuity and an understanding of what is being asked of you from the season before and had that time frame to work with each other to go into the next season is much more of a benefit with a similar group, plus the quality that they have added to that group as well.”