Cooper back for Leeds as Rodrigo enters self-isolation

Liam Cooper (£4.4m) makes a much-anticipated return to Leeds United’s defence for their Gameweek 7 meeting with Leicester City.

The centre-back returns to the heart of the back-four, allowing Luke Ayling (£ to resume right-back duties and pushing Stuart Dallas (£4.5m) to left-back once more.

However, Leeds will miss Rodrigo (£5.8m) in the middle of the park as the club revealed in their team news bulletin that the player is self-isolating “having been in close contact with a person who has subsequently tested positive for coronavirus”.

They have confirmed the Spaniard is now isolating in line with government guidelines, although no specific date was given for the positive test and, therefore, end of the isolation period.

Pablo Hernández (£5.8m) replaces Rodrigo in midfield, while most of the attention is likely to be on Patrick Bamford (£6.0m) tonight.

Only Ben Chilwell (£5.9m) earned more new owners than the Leeds forward for Gameweek 7, although just 34.7% of his FPL points have come at Elland Road this season.

Indeed, the former Chelsea man has blanked twice from three matches there since earning promotion to the Premier League.

By contrast, Jamie Vardy (£10.0m), still owned by 17% of Fantasy managers, has netted in every single away league match in 2020/21, averaging 12.3 points per game on the road.

Harvey Barnes (£6.9m) and Dennis Praet (£5.5m) support him from attacking midfield in a 3-4-2-1 formation while James Maddison (£7.0m) drops to the bench.

Jonny Evans (£5.5m) does not feature, so Brendan Rodgers is forced into a makeshift back-three of Christian Fuchs (£4.5m), Luke Thomas (£4.3m) and Wesley Fofana (£5.0m) while James Justin (£4.8m) and Marc Albrighton (£5.3m) are the left and right wing-backs respectively.

Leeds United XI: Meslier; Dallas, Cooper, Koch, Ayling; Shackleton; Harrison, Hernández, Klich, Costa; Bamford.

Leicester City XI: Schmeichel; Fuchs, L Thomas, Fofana; Justin, N Mendy, Tielemans, Albrighton; H Barnes, Praet; Vardy.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM FPL GAMEWEEK 7

• Wolves 2-0 Crystal Palace
• Sheffield United 0-1 Manchester City
• Burnley 0-3 Chelsea
• Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United
• Aston Villa 3-4 Southampton
• Newcastle United 2-1 Everton
• Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal
• Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
• Fulham 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
• Leeds United 1-4 Leicester City