Leeds United vs Derby County. Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs Semi-Final.
Elland RoadAttendance36,326.
3-4
Watch Leeds vs Derby live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm on Wednesday; Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Wednesday 15 May 2019 19:20, UK
Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping for play-off history to repeat itself when his Leeds side host Derby at Elland Road on Wednesday evening (agg. 1-0).
It's history that won't read well for Frank Lampard's men because none of the previous 17 teams to lose the first leg of a second-tier play-off semi-final at home have progressed to the final.
They travel to Yorkshire 1-0 down on aggregate, after Kemar Roofe's striker gave Leeds a 1-0 victory, in a fixture where referee Craig Pawson overturned his decision to award Rams full-back Jayden Bogle a penalty inside the final 15 minutes.
Leeds will be without striker Kemar Roofe for the return leg of their Championship play-off semi-final against Derby. Roofe, who scored the only goal in Saturday's first leg at Pride Park, has been ruled out due to a calf injury.
Patrick Bamford could return to the starting line-up in Roofe's absence after completing a two-game ban, while defender Pontus Jansson (ankle) will be assessed after missing the first leg. Midfielder Adam Forshaw (hamstring), forward Tyler Roberts (ankle), winger Gjanni Alioski and defender Barry Douglas (both knee) are definitely out.
Derby are hopeful that Martyn Waghorn will be fit for the trip to Elland Road. The 13-goal striker missed the first leg with an Achilles injury but has been training since and Rams boss Frank Lampard has said he will make a late decision on his involvement.
Duane Holmes will be fit, having only recently returned from a thigh problem. The midfielder was substituted after 70 minutes of the 1-0 defeat on Saturday. Left-back Ashley Cole could also be involved after he resumed training following an absence with a groin injury.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa: "We know that this is a difficult task, as difficult as it was for the first game. The first game we just played was not simple for us and we are sure the next game won't be.
"We won the last game with one goal of difference and the one before that with two. In the very first game (in August) we were the same team we are now, but Derby were a lot inferior to what they are now, so we should be careful about the analysis.
"We would like to have the same performance as the last two games against Derby, but we know it is going to be very hard."
Derby boss Frank Lampard: "It was a tough match for us, we knew that because Leeds are a good team. I won't have any of this nonsense about their run in and where they have been, they are a good team. They are an experienced team in this league, finished points above us over the season.
"In watching it back, I thought we competed really well and unfortunate, maybe, not to go in level. It was a tough match and well thought. There are little lessons to be learnt but I thought the lads gave everything and will have to give everything and more on Wednesday.
"At Elland Road, there will be a big atmosphere and they are a good team. We shouldn't be too negative about where we are at, but we have to understand the situation. We have to win the game, if we win the game we will be at least taking it to extra time. It is all there for us.
"Little things didn't go our way on Saturday, for sure, particularly the big decision and some smaller ones, but we have to be professional, we must be driven, determined and go there to turn it around."
Leeds have beaten Derby County three times this season - they've never beaten a side four times in a single season in their history.
20% of Derby's entire defeats in all competitions this season have been against Leeds United (three out of 15).
None of the previous 17 teams to lose the first leg of a second-tier play-off semi-final at home have progressed to the final.
Including play-offs, no player has scored more Championship goals against an opponent this season than Leeds striker Kemar Roofe has against Derby (four goals).
Leeds have lost just two of their last 45 home matches in May in all competitions (W25 D18 L2), although one of those was in the League One play-offs in 2008 (1-2 vs Carlisle United).
Derby have won just one of their last 10 away matches in all competitions (W1 D5 L4).
The team finishing third in the Championship haven't lost the home leg of the play-off semi-final since 2009-10, when Nottingham Forest lost 3-4 to Blackpool - third-place teams have won seven of their eight home legs since then (W7 D1 L0).
Across three Championship matches against Leeds this season, Derby have managed just 26 shots, six shots on target and one goal; in the home leg, the Rams failed to attempt an effort on target and had just two shots in the second half.
Kemar Roofe scored the winner at Pride Park, but he's out of the second leg, and it will have been a frustration for Leeds fans that he's not been available for so much of the season due to injury. I think he'll be a big miss.
I think it'll be a feisty game, which is what we all like to see in the play-offs, and I can see Leeds sneaking through. That would set-up a final against Villa, which would be decent given how we've seen them go up against each other during the course of the season.
All four teams have been fantastic, and regardless of who reaches the final, it'll be a packed out Wembley, but a Leeds-Villa final would have a really nice edge to it. Villa had wonderful form to get into it, and Leeds, the frustration of missing out on the automatic places could give them the added impetus to get through in the play-offs.
David Prutton predicts: 1-1 - Leeds progress 2-1 on aggregate (6/1 with Sky Bet)
