Leeds vs Blackburn: Preview, predictions and lineups
- Leeds take on Blackburn in the Championship on New Year's Day
- Yorkshiremen have climbed to the top of the table
- Blackburn are play-off hopefuls
Leeds enter 2025 at the top of the Championship and they face play-off hopefuls Blackburn at Elland Road on New Year's Day.
Despite losing multiple key faces over the summer, expectations were still high for Daniel Farke's squad and they've come into their own over the past six weeks.
Leeds have won five of their previous six games and lost just one of their last ten. However, that defeat arrived against their upcoming opponents at the end of November.
They climbed to the summit of the division by virtue of Brenden Aaronson's second-half winner at Derby on Sunday evening after Sheffield United were held by West Brom earlier in the day.
Blackburn enter Wednesday's contest in indifferent form, but they've enjoyed a stellar season thus far. John Eustace is once again waving his magic wand at Ewood Park with Rovers currently fifth in the table and in the play-off positions.
The Championship is typically tight, mind, and an extension of Blackburn's unproductive run into the new year could see Eustace's side slip towards mid-table. Sheffield Wednesday are only five points back in 11th.
Here is 90min's guide to this New Year's Day Championship bout.
What time does Leeds vs Blackburn kick-off?
- Location: Leeds, England
- Stadium: Elland Road
- Date: Wednesday 1 January
- Kick-off: 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
- Referee: Oliver Langford
Leeds vs Blackburn H2H Record (Last Five Games)
- Leeds: 3 wins
- Blackburn: 2 wins
- Draws: 0
- Last meeting: Blackburn 1-0 Leeds (30 November 2024) - EFL Championship
Current form (all competitions)
Leeds | Blackburn |
|---|---|
Derby 0-1 Leeds - 29/12/24 | Blackburn 0-1 Hull - 29/12/24 |
Stoke 0-2 Leeds - 26/12/24 | Blackburn 2-2 Sunderland - 26/12/24 |
Leeds 4-0 Oxford Utd - 21/12/24 | Millwall 1-0 Blackburn - 21/12/24 |
Preston 1-1 Leeds - 14/12/24 | Blackburn 2-0 Luton - 14/12/24 |
Leeds 3-1 Middlesbrough - 10/12/24 | Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Blackburn - 10/12/24 |
How to watch Leeds vs Blackburn on TV - UK and US
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports+ |
United States | Paramount+ |
Canada | Not televised |
Leeds team news
The hosts are set to welcome back several injured stars in the new year, but Farke is unlikely to have any players back on Wednesday.
Joe Gelhardt, Junior Firpo and Max Wober are closing in on their respective comebacks, while Ilia Gruev could be out for a little longer with a knee injury.
There could be some rotation from Sunday's win over Derby, with Joel Piroe among those who appeared off the bench at Pride Park to come into Farke's XI.
Leeds predicted lineup vs Blackburn
Leeds predicted lineup vs Blackburn (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Byram; Tanaka, Ampadu; Gnonto, Aaronson, James; Piroe,
Blackburn team news
Arnor Sigurdsson and Zak Gilsenan will be absent from Blackburn's attacking quartet at Elland Road due to injury setbacks, with the pair expected to return at some point in January.
Former Premier League star Todd Cantwell is poised to start in a #10 role, while the experienced Andreas Weimann is also in contention.
Lewis Travis misses out with a hamstring issue, and Blackburn are also without Scott Wharton, Harry Pickering and Hayden Carter.
Blackburn predicted lineup vs Leeds
Blackburn predicted lineup vs Leeds (4-2-3-1): Pears; Brittain, Hyam, Batth, Beck; Baker, Trondstad; Dolan, Cantwell, Hedges; Ohashi.
Leeds vs Blackburn score prediction
Blackburn are winless in three and are the lowest scorers in the top half. Winning at Elland Road is no mean feat, with teams typically having to arrive with a swagger to down Leeds on their turf.
Farke's side will surely be smelling blood on New Year's Day given how well they've performed over the past month. They're the league's highest scorers and have once again been imperious at home, winning their last nine fixtures at Elland Road.
This is a tough ask for Rovers, whose winless run is bound to permeate into the new year.
Prediction: Leeds 2-0 Blackburn
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