There will be blood sweat and tears when Elland Road plays host to this exciting Yorkshire Derby, as Leeds United host Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Championship.
United have found life back in the Championship difficult so far, only picking up one victory from their first four fixtures and that came last weekend as they defeated Ipswich Town in an exhilarating ding-dong contest which ended 4-3.
As for The Owls, they are winless and sit rock-bottom of the Championship table, as well as suffering cup disappointment during the week as they lost 4-5 on penalties to League Two opposition in Mansfield Town.
Despite total domination, Leeds were also dumped out of the Carabao Cup at the second round stage in midweek. They were the victim of a penalty shootout loss; losing 9-8 against Salford City after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Despite having 71% possession, 33 shots on goal and four clear-cut chances, it was the Ammies who opened the scoring at the Peninsula Stadium. Leeds' captain on the night, Pascal Struijk, came to the rescue as he squirmed in an equaliser with just under 15 minutes left on the clock.
With the shootout tightly poised at 8-8 after nine spot kicks each, Jamie Shackleton stepped up and hit the angle of post and bar before Ossama Ashley converted to win it at the second time of asking, after his initial attempt was saved by Karl Darlow,, who had come off his line, meaning a retake was ordered.
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Team news
Leeds
Leeds have been active in the transfer throughout the week and new signing Djed Spence - who signed on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur - will be pushing to make his debut. Midfielders Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara both joined on Thursday, however this game will likely come too soon for the duo to start.
Elsewhere; Ilan Meslier, Luke Ayling, Joe Rodon and Joel Piroe were rested for the trip to Salford on Tuesday night and could return to the starting XI.
Sam Byram was substituted in the 24th minute during last weekend's 3-4 win over Ipswich Town and manager Daniel Farke has since confirmed he has a groin issue and will be missing from action until after the September international break.
Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Junior Firpo, Daniel James and Patrick Bamford all remain sidelined.
Luis Sinisterra is not likely to be at the club after tonight, let alone in the squad for tomorrow's fixture, as he is set for a move to Bournemouth on deadline day.
Sheffield Wednesday
Wednesday made eight changes in midweek, however manager Xisco Munoz is set to recall a number of regular starters when he names his starting XI at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.
Midfielder Mohamed Diaby is missing with an ankle injury, whilst Mallik Wilks is nearing a return but is expected to be unavailable for this clash.
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Likely lineups
Leeds (4-4-2): Meslier (GK); Ayling (C), Rodon, Struijk, Shackleton; Gnonto, Gray, Ampadu, Summerville; Rutter, Piroe.
Sheffield Wednesday (5-4-1): Vazquez (GK); Patterson, Palmer, Ihiekwe, Bernard, Delgado; Windass, Bannan (C), Byers, Gregory: Smith.
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Key players
Wilfried Gnonto
The Italian was a hot topic throughout the whole of the country just a couple of weeks ago, as he looked to force a move away from Elland Road and back to the Premier League, but he's now back in action and firing again.
The Italy U21 forward was frozen out of the squad by manager Daniel Farke for over a fortnight after he handed in a transfer request and refused to play amid interest from Everton, however he has since apologised and was named in the starting XI against Ipswich last weekend.
Gnonto rewarded his managers decision to allow him to come back into the side, scoring the second of Leeds' four goals as they picked up their first win of the EFL Championship season and again, performing well as Leeds failed to progress to the third round of the Carabao Cup.
Gnonto hit four goals and four assists in all competitions in a dreadful side last season, so if he can rediscover that form under Daniel Farke, he'll set the second tier alight and be crucial in Leeds' attempts to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Devis Vasquez
Leeds peppered the Salford goal on Tuesday night, with 33 shots registered, so it's bound to be a huge afternoon for Vazquez in the Wednesday goal.
Vazquez debuted in The Owls' Carabao Cup Round One tie with Stockport County and saved a penalty in the shootout as Wednesday progressed, however he has failed to keep a clean sheet in 180 EFL Championship minutes, in which he has made a total of seven saves.
If Sheffield Wednesday are to have a chance at taking a point back to Hillsborough with them, then they will have to be heavily reliant on the Colombian having a good performance, as any error, no matter how big or small, could prove costly.
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Match details
Where is the game being played?
This EFL Championship fixture will be played at the iconic Elland Road on Saturday, September 2, 2023.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off for this clash is set for 15:00 BST.
How can I watch?
Due to the 15:00 kick off, the game will not be televised in the UK due to the backout rule, prohibiting football from being televised between 14:45 and 17:15 on a Saturday afternoon.
