Leeds United welcome Manchester City to Elland Road in the first meeting between the two sides since they lost 3-2 to Pep Guardiola's side at The Etihad.
At 2-0 down at half-time in that match, Daniel Farke brought on Jaka Bijol and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James to change from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 formation.
The Whites then brought it back to 2-2, thanks to goals from Lukas Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin, but a stoppage time strike from Phil Foden won the game for the hosts.
Despite the loss, that clash with Manchester City changed the club's season for the better. Since that defeat, Leeds have only lost two of their last 14 matches in the Premier League.
Farke's move to a 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation has given the Whites a real chance of avoiding relegation straight back down to the Championship.
How Leeds can expose Man City weaknesses
It should go without saying that getting points from a game against City is difficult. They have only dropped points in ten of their 27 league games, losing five times in total, and have won seven of their last eight in all competitions.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates after the match
However, they have conceded eight goals in their last eight games, letting in two goals on two occasions, which means that there are some areas that Leeds could exploit to score goals.
City beat Newcastle 2-1 last time out in the Premier League, but there was space down their right-hand side with Matheus Nunes at right-back. Lewis Hall, Newcastle's left-back, scored and had two shots, whilst Joe Willock, their left winger, had two shots and one 'big chance'.
Vs Newcastle Matheus Nunes
Minutes 90
Tackles 0
Interceptions 0
Blocks 0
Duels won 3/3
Shots 0
Chances created 0
This means that Leeds may have to target City's right side if they want to exploit their defensive weaknesses, which will not be easy after it was revealed that Noah Okafor will be unavailable for selection.
Brenden Aaronson started out wide for the Whites on the left in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa last time out, but Farke could bench the American by unleashing a star in a new role.
The Leeds star who could exploit Man City in a new role
In the draw with Villa last weekend, Aaronson started on the left wing in a 5-4-1 formation and came off the pitch after 73 minutes with zero shots and zero chances created for the team.
For this clash with Manchester City, Farke could bench the USA international by unleashing Nmecha in a new role on the left wing, having only started as a centre-forward so far this season.
All the German number nine's starts for Leeds have been in his natural position, either as a sole striker or alongside Calvert-Lewin, but he has made 19 career club starts on the left wing at previous clubs.
lukas-nmecha-leeds-fulham
Playing him on the left for this game, though, in Okafor's absence could provide Leeds with a very useful outlet to use against Nunes, who struggled against Newcastle last time out.
Nmecha has the mobility and technical ability to do a fine job on the left, even if it is not completely natural to him, and his running in behind could cause a lot of problems for the Portuguese defender, who failed to contain Willock and Hall.
Journalist Josh Bunting claimed that the German attacker "rekindled himself" at Wolfsburg before his move to Elland Road, but his form this season has been his best for several years.
25/26 Premier League Lukas Nmecha
Appearances 21
xG 6.21
Goals 6
Big chances created 1
Assists 1
Duel success rate 36%
Nmecha's return of six Premier League goals is his best return in league football since he scored eight goals in the Bundesliga for Wolfsburg in the 2021/22 campaign.
The former Manchester City academy graduate could come back to haunt his former team once again, having also scored against them in the reverse fixture, but in a new position on the left.
His return of six goals and one assist in the Premier League this season shows that he can impact games at this level when he is at his best, and his best chance of impacting this particular match could be as a left winger because of Okafor's injury and Nunes' struggles at right-back for City.
It is now down to Farke to be brave, as he was when he first changed the formation against City at The Etihad, and unleash Nmecha - now worth £7m, as per Transfermarkt, in a brand-new role to bench Aaronson.
|Possible Leeds XI vs Man City|
|Position|Player|
|---|
|GK|Darlow|
|RWB|Justin|
|CB|Bijol|
|CB|Rodon|
|CB|Struijk|
|LWB|Gudmundsson|
|RM|Bogle|
|CM|Stach|
|CM|Ampadu|
|LM|Nmecha|
|ST|Calvert-Lewin|
LEEDS FARKE Related
[Daniel Farke without "perfect" Leeds star for Man City clash after injury news](https://www.footballfancast.com/daniel-farke-leeds-united-man-city-injury-news-noah-okafor/ "Daniel Farke without "perfect" Leeds star for Man City clash after injury news")
The Whites will be minus his services for a crucial game.