FPL team guides: Leeds United – Best players, predicted line-up + more

Gameweek 1 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is drawing ever nearer and we’re profiling all 20 Premier League teams before the season starts.

We continue our team-by-team guides with Leeds United, seeing what their players have to offer.

• READ MORE: FPL team guides: Arsenal – Best players, predicted line-up + more
• READ MORE: FPL team guides: Aston Villa – Best players, predicted line-up + more
• READ MORE: FPL team guides: Brentford – Best players, predicted line-up + more
• READ MORE: FPL team guides: Brighton – Best players, predicted line-up + more
• READ MORE: FPL team guides: Crystal Palace – Best players, predicted line-up + more
• READ MORE: FPL team guides: Everton – Best players, predicted line-up + more

You can check out our Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth analysis in our Promoted series (articles that will be refreshed before the big kick-off).

Data in this article comes from our Premium Members Area, which you can access with a discounted subscription for as little as £2.49 a month today.

LAST SEASON: ATTACK

*Rankings are weighted per game due to the different number of matches that clubs played from Gameweek 28 onwards

A final-day victory over Brentford saw Leeds United become the first side in 11 years to climb out of the relegation zone on the occasion.

Besides this and a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Wolves, it was a troublesome 2021/22 campaign that included the sad dismissal of beloved icon Marcelo Bielsa after a five-match spell where 20 goals were conceded.

The statistics above and below are for head coach Jesse Marsch’s subsequent 12 games in charge. As Double Gameweeks meant teams played between 11 and 14 times after his arrival, the ranks arrange them ‘per game’ to enable a fair comparison.

From Gameweek 28, Leeds hover in the lower mid-table for underlying attacking stats but had the fifth-most big chances, joint with Liverpool and Arsenal.

Undoubtedly, the sale of Raphinha to Barcelona will be a huge loss. The Brazilian was far ahead of all teammates for goals (11), shots (88), chances created (65) and FPL points (145). Replacing such a talisman is difficult, although having Patrick Bamford (£7.5m) back from multiple injuries will finally quality to their forward line.

LAST SEASON: DEFENCE

*Rankings are weighted per game due to the different number of matches that clubs played from Gameweek 28 onwards

In isolation, the only poor defensive number under Marsch is for conceding shots on target. The rest aren’t too alarming.

However, their backline was catastrophic in Bielsa’s 26 matches, letting in four or more goals on six occasions. Leeds were the league’s worst for goals against (60), attempts on target conceded (157) and big chances allowed (71) and second-worst in most other defensive measurements.

As a result, no defensive assets brought FPL appeal, especially as only six goals and eight assists came from there. Perhaps things would have been better had defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips (£5.0m) not missed three months with a hamstring injury but his summer sale to Manchester City only reinforces how important it is that Marc Roca and Tyler Adams (both £5.0m) quickly get used to Premier League life.

Rasmus Kristensen (£5.0m) looks like a shrewd singing at both ends of the field, at least.

OPENING FIXTURES

Marsch’s side are bit of an unknown quantity ahead of this new campaign.

The American’s first summer at Elland Road has seen arguably his two best players depart but three replacements have so far arrived from the Red Bull clubs where he made his name, alongside Roca and Sinisterra.

Marsch has been fielding strong line-ups in pre-season to help establish team familiarity, as their initial fixture run is full of promise.

According to our Season Ticker, only Arsenal have a better opening seven matches and, when extending this to Gameweek 10, Leeds are in first place.

PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UP

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