Leeds United: Daniel Farke told to start "press-resistant" pair v Sunderland to ease Ilia Gruev blow | OneFootball

FLW has been speaking with our Leeds United fan pundit ahead of Friday's huge clash with Sunderland, with changes in midfield hinted at.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Leeds United will make the trip up to Wearside on Friday night to take on Championship leaders Sunderland, in what is a huge clash at the Stadium of Light.

Daniel Farke's Leeds side enter the game after securing a 1-1 draw away at his former side Norwich City on Tuesday night, whilst Regis Le Bris' Black Cats are hoping to make it five wins from five at home so far this season.

Indeed, Sunderland have scored eight times and are yet to concede a goal at the Stadium of Light in the league so far, in what presents as Leeds' biggest task of their campaign to date.

But will Farke be tempted to ring the changes for his team's trip to the North East? Football League World investigates...

We asked our Leeds United fan pundit, Kris Smith, what one change he would make to the starting lineup for Friday's meeting with Sunderland, and if none, why?

Smith said: "Given that Ilia Gruev looks to be carrying a knee issue that, even though we don't know the severity of it, the fact that he's carrying that issue from midweek into the Sunderland game, you'd imagine that we're going to need to change our midfield from the one that started against Norwich.

"Ao Tanaka obviously got his first start and looked very good on Tuesday night, and Joe Rothwell came on for Gruev when he got that knee injury, and you'd imagine that he's going to have to partner him again.

"Not having a number six in the squad is a concern going to Sunderland. Obviously, they're sitting top of the league, but one positive that I do think of having Tanaka and Rothwell in the same team as two number eight's, is that they both move the ball really well.

"They're quite press resistant, and against a side that are going to put the squeeze on us for 90 minutes, that could be to our benefit.

"The performance on the whole against Norwich was alright in my eyes, and I'm yet to see anywhere that Farke should change his current attacking setup, and his back four as well.

"So to me, the only issue that he's got is his midfield at the moment, and with Ampadu and Gruev out, there's not really another choice that he's got other than Tanaka and Rothwell."

Sunderland game could be ideal chance to see what Tanaka and Rothwell are about

Tanaka has had to be patient since his arrival from Fortuna Düsseldorf just before the summer transfer window closed, with his first start in a Leeds shirt coming at Carrow Road on Tuesday.

For Whites fans, it was worth the wait though, as the Japanese international was one of the best players on the pitch, looking very tidy and efficient on the ball, whilst showcasing his impressive stamina levels in Farke's engine room.

As for Rothwell, he's no stranger to Championship football, but aside from his brief loan spell with Southampton in the second half of last season, the 29-year-old had been plying his trade in the Premier League as a Bournemouth player.

Seeing significantly less football over the last few seasons compared to his spells with Oxford United and Blackburn Rovers respectively, between 2016-2022, he could've been forgiven for perhaps looking a step behind the pace.

But that was far from being the case, as he banked an impressive 70 minutes alongside Tanaka at Carrow Road, highlighting the strength in depth Farke has at his disposal in the centre of midfield.

Friday's game at the Stadium of Light will be a big test for Leeds, but it will provide an ideal opportunity for Rothwell and Tanaka to really show what they're made of, and stake their respective claims to be in the starting lineup more regularly moving forward.

If they can get the better of Sunderland's excellent midfield trio of Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham and Dan Neil, then dropping either of them from the side could be difficult to justify in the weeks ahead.