This League Cup tie boasts a very different dynamic to Saturday's Premier League meeting for several reasons
Lucas Perri made the matchday squad on Saturday
Lucas Perri made the matchday squad on Saturday(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Do you get deja vu? Leeds United will certainly hope so, if Saturday is anything to go by. An Anton Stach special served up a winning start to the season and now it’s time for round two.
The Whites travel back down the M1 to the City Ground again for a different type of match against Nottingham Forest. Both sides are set to be rotated in tonight’s League Cup contest, with the hosts the favourites given the home support.
At the same time, Daniel Farke has a bit of personal pride on the line. Leeds have only won one League Cup game during his whole tenure at Elland Road, the defeats against Salford City and last year Sheffield Wednesday being particular low points of his reign.
Leeds showed how beneficial a cup run can be during last season’s FA Cup semi-final journey, and it has been too long since this club last clasped hands on major cup silverware.
At the same time, the League Cup is not a priority. And Farke’s line-up - which will meanwhile likely entail a debut for new signing Nico Elvedi - is set to tell the tale.
A decision in goal
Lucas Perri was the most surprising inclusion in Saturday’s squad. The goalkeeper is destined for a move away and has only had 45 minutes of action all summer due to a quad injury. But he was back on the bench at Forest.
The question therefore is, what next? Perri does look like he is bound for a move overseas, probably on loan, but while he is at Leeds, Farke has every right to make use of him. In fact, Torino - or whichever club ultimately grabs him - will be thankful if he does play and thereby regain match sharpness.
However, given his recent injury status and Leeds' hope of landing Michael Zetterer, Farke could decide to leave him on the bench and allow James Trafford to start.
Trafford has only played two full games since arriving and therefore the manager has the perfect reason to keep him in. It will be an interesting call.
A chance for youngsters
The likes of Callum Mills, Jayden Lienou and Alfie Creswell all enjoyed promising run-outs in pre-season and the latter pair were included in the senior squad on Saturday. They could well get minutes tonight, be it from the start or - most likely - the bench.
Leeds did have a handful of injuries but the duo's inclusion in the squad on Saturday shows how thin Farke’s squad can get with only a few setbacks, and it reinforces the need for more additions to be made.
As for the academy stars, chairman Paraag Marathe says he is keen for the line of progression through to the first team to be active, something Farke has said is one of the cornerstones of the club. If none play tonight, it is hard to see when they will this term.
Minutes for Okafor
Noah Okafor has yet to start a game since he returned for pre-season, having been playing catch-up following his late return to the squad as a result of his delayed holiday after Switzerland’s progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
He enjoyed around 30 minutes on Saturday and looked lively and determined. It seems that tonight’s game is a natural opening for him to get that first start of the season - a year after his full debut for Leeds in the League Cup at Hillsborough.
He not only needs minutes but will need to show he is still the left-10 primary pick. Leeds are looking to bring in a new left-sided attacker. If successful, Okafor would need to keep his levels high. First, he needs to get back to those match levels.