Leeds United return to action in the Championship on Saturday afternoon as they host Middlesbrough at Elland Road and look to close the gap on the top two.

The Whites are currently seven points adrift of the automatic promotion places and eight points behind Leicester City in first place as it stands.

Daniel Farke was brought in during the summer to help to lead the team straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and has the club in third place after 18 matches.

The German tactician, who won two Championship titles during his time with Norwich City, has had a strong start to his tenure in Yorkshire but must now maintain the high standards he has set and continue to pick up points at an impressive rate in order to secure promotion.

Saturday's clash with Middlesbrough is another chance for the Whites to pick up three points after their 3-1 win over Swansea last time out.

Farke could look to make some changes to his starting XI from that victory over the Swans and, with this in mind, here is a predicted Leeds line-up for this weekend's clash…

1 Illan Meslier

The young Frenchman has started all 18 of the club's last matches so far this season and, therefore, it seems unlikely that the boss would drop him for this match. He has kept six clean sheets to date and will be on the hunt for his seventh on Saturday.

2 Djed Spence

The first change that could be made to the XI is a bold and exciting one as Tottenham Hotspur loanee Djed Spence could finally be unleashed at right-back.

He was named on the bench against Swansea and is now fit and available for selection for the first time since his debut at the start of September.

17-year-old Archie Gray, who is a natural midfielder, has filled in admirably and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per match so far this season. However, the youngster has zero assists and made 0.6 key passes per game across 17 appearances.

Spence, on the other hand, produced four assists, six 'big chances' created, and made one key pass per outing in 40 starts on loan at Nottingham Forest during his last Championship campaign during the 2021/22 season.

3 Joe Rodon

At the heart of the defence, Joe Rodon could keep his place as the Wales international has been in impressive form so far this season since his switch from Spurs on loan.

The towering defender has completed 91% of his passes and made 4.5 ball recoveries per game across 15 league outings throughout the current season.

4 Liam Cooper

The second change to the XI could be Liam Cooper coming back into the side after one match on the bench due to Pascal Struijk's fitness.

Leeds' Dutch enforcer, who Farke lauded as "crucial" part of his team earlier this term, was a substitute for the 1-1 draw against Rotherham last month after undergoing surgery on a hernia issue during the international break.

He then returned to the starting line up against Swansea on Wednesday night but endured a difficult night against the Welsh outfit. Struijk made an error for the opening goal from Jamie Patterson inside two minutes and did not win a single duel in 89 minutes before a knock forced him off.

His out of character display may suggest that the left-footed titan is not ready to come back into the XI after his surgery and, therefore, Cooper could come in on Saturday to provide his central defensive teammate with more time to get back to full fitness.

5 Sam Byram

Another player who could retain his place in the side is left-back Sam Byram, who was signed from Norwich City on a free transfer over the summer.

The English defender produced a fantastic, crunching, challenge to win possession back in the build-up to James' goal against Swansea, as his tackle provided Georgino Rutter with the chance to thread the ball through to the Welsh forward.

6 Ethan Ampadu

Ethan Ampadu could start in the middle of the park for Leeds once again and control the game with his outstanding attributes in and out of possession.

The Wales international, who assisted Rutter's goal with a superb long pass against Swansea, has made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per league game this season.

7 Glen Kamara

Farke could stick with his midfield metronome by starting Glen Kamara alongside Ampadu in the Leeds midfield against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The Finland international has completed 93% of his attempted passes and made 1.3 tackles and interceptions per match across 11 appearances.

8 Wilfried Gnonto

This could be a controversial change but the third and final alteration to the XI could be Wilfried Gnonto coming in on the right over Tuesday's scorer of the third goal – Dan James.

The Welsh forward did score with a left-footed finish against Swansea. However, he has only completed 27 of his 43 attempted passes and none of his five attempted dribbles over his last two Championship matches.

With games coming thick and fast around the festive period, this could be an opportunity to rotate the attacking group to avoid players burning out or suffering muscle-related injuries and Gnonto could benefit from that on Saturday.

9 Joel Piroe

The Dutch marksman – Joel Piroe – scored his seventh Championship goal of the season on Tuesday night and could keep his place in the number ten position.

He has been in fine form since his move from the Swans and Patrick Bamford – who has zero goals in ten league outings – has not provided any competition for his place.

10 Crysencio Summerville

Crysencio Summerville could line up on the left of the attack. The Dutch wizard has produced seven goals and six assists in 15 league appearances for the Whites so far this season.