As well as Ampadu: Farke must unleash "explosive" Leeds "weapon"

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship for the second time in 2025 this afternoon as they travel away from West Yorkshire to take on Hull City.

The Whites head into this match off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw at Elland Road against Blackburn Rovers on New Year’s Day on Wednesday.

Daniel Farke’s side appeared to be on course for all three points after Pascal Struijk’s 88th-minute penalty, only for Danny Batth to equalise for the away team just 90 seconds later.

The German head coach, with this game coming just three days later, may decide to make some changes to his starting XI, and one player who should come back in is Ethan Ampadu.

Why Ethan Ampadu should start

Firstly, the Wales international, who only recently returned from a lengthy absence with a knee injury, is the club captain and this suggests that he brings quality leadership on the pitch that will be needed if Leeds are to mount a successful promotion push.

Also, Ampadu brings energy and strength to the middle of the park, which is something that Joe Rothwell did not provide with his performance last time out.

The English midfielder, who started next to Ao Tanaka, ended the game with zero duels won, zero tackles, zero interceptions, and only one duel contested.

Ampadu, meanwhile, has averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 5.4 duels per match, at a success rate of 69%, which suggests that he could offer significantly more to the team out of possession.

The former Chelsea man is not the only player who should be drafted into the starting line-up, as Farke should also bring Largie Ramazani back into the fold.

Why Largie Ramazani should start

The Belgian forward was an unused substitute against Blackburn after he struggled in his start against Derby, which was his first start since returning from an ankle injury.

Ramazani missed a ‘big chance’ to open the scoring and only created one chance in his time on the pitch, before being substituted for Manor Solomon.

The Leeds whiz, who was described as “explosive” and a counter-attack “weapon” by Jacek Kulig, has shown plenty of signs of quality in a Leeds shirt this season, particularly prior to his injury, though, and should be given another chance to build up his match sharpness.

As you can see in the table above, Ramazani has scored three goals and provided one assist this season, and all of those contributions came in his first eight appearances and six starts.

This shows that the potential is there for the 23-year-old whiz to be an excellent option for Farke in the final third, but he needs game time to build himself back up and that is why he should be unleashed against Hull today.

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