Daniel Farke could surprise us all at 11:30am by dropping his ‘most important player’ for Leeds United against Luton Town

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Leeds United travel to Luton Town this Saturday knowing that they must win to arrest a recent slide of one win in the last five league outings.

Daniel Farke is looking to get his side back on track at the start of April with a return to maximum points away at Luton’s Kenilworth Road on Saturday afternoon. They must do so to ensure they remain inside the top two after matchday 40.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	39	26	7	6	56	29	27	83
2	LeedsLeeds	39	23	12	4	78	27	51	81
3	BurnleyBurnley	39	22	15	2	53	11	42	81
4	SunderlandSunderland	39	20	12	7	56	37	19	72
5	CoventryCoventry	39	17	8	14	56	51	5	59
6	West BromWest Brom	39	13	18	8	48	35	13	57

Despite the heartache of a late Swansea City equaliser last time out at Elland Road, the main blow the side took was the mental one of such a frustrating late goal to concede. Now, away to Luton, anything but a win won’t do for Farke and Leeds.

Five games in March yielded just a solitary maximum, and that run of form won’t wash in April with Sheffield United and Burnley both putting together strong runs of form in the same period.

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Daniel Farke should consider dropping Ethan Ampadu against Luton Town

Worrying stats have emerged of late, as well as signs of the side ‘falling apart’ again. However, it’s still all to play for and very much in Leeds’ hands with a favourable run-in over the other automatic challengers still to come.

Leeds thought they were getting themselves back on track just after the international break when Willy Gnonto struck in the 86th minute against Swansea , only for Zan Vipotnik to somehow strike deep in added time from a tight angle to beat Illan Meslier.

It means the calamity won’t go without punishment, with pundits calling for the Leeds boss to make a ‘brave’ change, with Sam Allardyce’s 2023 call on Meslier vindicated.

The biggest question mark was going to be on who started in goal coming into this weekend, but Daniel Farke very quickly addressed the Meslier situation during his press conference. It means Karl Darlow has a lot to gain after his recall this afternoon.

Whether he drops anyone else, with Manor Solomon and Dan James struggling for form, remains to be seen. But Willy Gnonto’s cameos are also proving to be difficult to ignore. But that is not the main area of concern for Saturday.

The likes of Junior Firpo and Ao Tanaka can expect to come back in after international duties saw them travel plenty just after the international break. However, who comes out is more of a question for Farke than usual like-for-like changes.

Away from home, it seems that Farke would like to have James and Aaronson playing for their out of possession work and intensity, but playing Gnonto over one of them would therefore require a more defensive-minded midfield pivot.

That seems unlikely, meaning a more progressive duo at the base of midfield is required behind a faltering front four. Ethan Ampadu was thrust back into the action early after a long injury layoff against Swansea, putting in one of his worst performances for Leeds since his 2023 arrival from Chelsea.

The 24-year-old struggled to move the ball with any kind of speed or direction, appearing visibly rusty upon his return. His leadership and work rate are not in question, nor is his quality at full fitness, but Ampadu was not sharp or ready for it.

A further week of training is sure to help, but it would not be that surprising if Farke dropped his captain and built his minutes up more slowly after hooking him off on 58 minutes. That was far earlier than most of Farke’s subs this season, highlighting that he made a mistake for a player simply undercooked.

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Ethan Ampadu’s importance to Leeds explained by Daniel Farke

During the Christmas period, Ampadu returned from a separate knee injury early. He was handled differently then, with a slower return to action. However, Farke was full of praise for his skipper.

Speaking previous via Leeds Live in a press conference back in December, he said: “Ethan is back in full team training since this week and he looks good. He can handle the load.

“Normally when a player is out for such a long time, the first time the player is back in the squad after two or three weeks, you would say he needs that two or three weeks of team training until he can come on.

“He’s ahead of schedule being back in team training and this is testament to his professional and good work. He was also desperate to come back as soon as possible. We still will be a bit careful, but for us and for me, he is not a normal player.

“He is our captain and the most important player in the whole squad and for that I am tempted to bring him in a little bit earlier instead of waiting two or three weeks. We will see if we use him in the upcoming games.

“It may depend on who is available and who isn’t available, but it is definitely good he is back in training and he could be back earlier. You can’t expect after just one week of team training that he starts where he was before his injury. He needs time, you have to shake off the rust — but he’s in contention.”

He should come back in for more minutes this game, but from the bench. Leeds taking a lead and then looking to utilise Ampadu’s defensive nous when operating at the heart of midfield to see the game out is the best way to go.