TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction

Leeds United host Newcastle United in a meeting between two of the Premier League’s bottom five on Saturday afternoon.

Consecutive top-flight victories have provided some merciful breathing space for Leeds even though they remain 15th. Newcastle passed up the chance to gain ground on fellow relegation scrappers Watford last weekend with a 1-1 draw, and are still stuck on the one solitary Premier League win all season.

Here’s all you need to know about the weekend’s game.

When is kick off? Saturday 22 January, 15:00 (GMT)
Where is the match being played? Elland Road
TV channel/live stream? Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, BBC One Final Score (UK), UNIVERSO (US), DAZN (Canada)
Highlights? Sky Sports Football YouTube, Match of the Day
Referee? Chris Kavanagh
VAR? Kevin Friend

Leeds had one senior player – the returning Rodrigo Moreno – on their bench for a thrilling 3-2 victory away to West Ham United last weekend, such has been the proliferation of injuries throughout the squad.

Marcelo Bielsa had to call upon two of those teenage replacements inside the opening half-hour as Junior Firpo and Adam Forshaw limped off with hamstring injuries. The latter’s isn’t thought to be as significant as Firpo’s but both are doubts this weekend.

Diego Llorente’s return from suspension offers some blessed relief at the heart of a defence robbed of the club’s injured captain Liam Cooper. Kalvin Phillips isn’t expected to be available to screen that backline until March.

All four of Tyler Roberts, Joe Gelhardt, Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell are set to be sidelined until the other side of the upcoming international break.

Patrick Bamford wasn’t risked for last weekend’s capital trip and it has now emerged that he has suffered a fresh foot injury.

You can read Leeds’ predicted lineup here.

Newcastle centre back Federico Fernandez has returned to training ground but may not be risked for the weekend’s match after going more than a month without an appearance.

Callum Wilson remains some way off a return, while Isaac Hayden has also had his recovery scheduled for March.

Ciaran Clark’s availability is strongly doubtful after sitting out Newcastle’s last two matches with a suspected COVID-19 case.

Javier Manquillo has served his one-game suspension and may be shoehorned into the left-back slot once more given the presence of winter arrival Kieran Trippier on his natural flank.

You can read Newcastle’s predicted lineup here.

Across 97 meetings since their first in 1924 – fittingly a 1-1 draw – Leeds and Newcastle have shared a remarkably even rivalry; both sides can lay claim to 39 victories and 19 draws.

However, Leeds beat Newcastle home and away last season – their first league double over the Magpies since 1975/76 – and drew this term’s reverse fixture 1-1 at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle haven’t beaten Leeds since the pair shared England’s second tier in 2016/17, winning 2-0 at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa is unbeaten in three meetings with Newcastle / LEE SMITH/GettyImages

As much as their strengths were on display, a thrilling victory against Champions League-chasing West Ham highlighted the abundant defensive weaknesses this decimated Leeds squad are riddled with.

Since Howe’s arrival at Newcastle, only one side in the division has a worse record of non-penalty expected goals (xG) conceded per game: Leeds (according to UnderStat).

However, a Wilson-less, Allan Saint-Maximin-dependent Newcastle frontline don’t offer the same threat posed by Leeds’ press and Raphinha’s top-tier incision.

Prediction: Leeds 2-1 Newcastle