Leeds United face Newcastle United at Elland Road for the first time since 2023, as Daniel Farke looks to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Daniel Farke has endured arguably his worst week as Leeds United manager, having watched his side slip to a 5-0 defeat against Arsenal before meekly exiting the EFL Cup at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.
Leeds have a strong recent track record against Newcastle United, having lost just once in their last seven meetings. Farke needs a result to lift the gloom that currently surrounds Elland Road.
The last time the two sides met in West Yorkshire, Leeds were also embroiled in a relegation scrap, with Sam Allardyce taking charge of the second game of his short spell with the Whites.
Farke will be hoping to avoid the chaos of that “crazy” encounter when the two sides meet in the third game of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Patrick Bamford misses a penalty during Leeds United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Leeds United threw away a “crazy” game against Newcastle in 2023
Sam Allardyce was parachuted in to save Leeds in the 2022/23 season, as they ultimately slipped to relegation, following the departures of Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia.
Allardyce’s reign got off to a promising start as Leeds battled to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester City, raising hopes that they could claim a much-needed home win to boost their survival hopes.
Leeds started the game brightly, as Luke Ayling gave Leeds an early 1-0 lead with their first attack of the game. The Whites were then awarded a penalty just minutes later, when Junior Firpo was bundled over in the box.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
However, Patrick Bamford was unable to convert the spot kick, as the momentum decisively shifted in the game. Max Wober bundled over Alexander Isak in the box to hand Newcastle an opportunity to level, which Callum Wilson gratefully converted from the penalty spot.
When Junior Firpo inexplicably handled in the box in the second half, the game appeared to be drifting away from Leeds, as Wilson made no mistake from 12 yards to hand the visitors a 2-1 lead.
Rasmus Kristensen’s deflected shot pulled Leeds level, but they were unable to force a winner, as Firpo was shown a red card for a second bookable offence late on.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Allardyce lamented his side’s “crazy” performance, stating: “Crazy is an understatement, isn’t it! I don’t believe what’s happened out there and what we’ve done to ourselves.”
Ultimately, this was the only point that Allardyce would win as Leeds manager, as his side slipped to three defeats in four games during his short and unsuccessful spell with the club.
Sam Allardyce looks on during Leeds United v Newcastle United - Premier League
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Leeds must improve attack to get a result against Newcastle
Although the Leeds side that got relegated had many faults, scoring goals was rarely a problem, as their leaky defence was ultimately their demise.
However, according to the FotMob data from their opening two games, Farke’s Leeds side has the opposite problem, with Noah Okafor in line for his first Premier League start, as Leeds look to improve in attack.
Leeds currently rank 19th in the division for most shots on target per game, with an average of two, and 16th for the number of touches in the opposition box, with 34. They also rank 14th for expected goals, with an xG of just 2.3 from their two games.
Joel Piroe looked lost against Arsenal, and both Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggled against Sheffield Wednesday. Farke needs to find a way to get the best out of his strikers as soon as possible.