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Bielsa confirms starting XI for clash v West Brom

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Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed his starting XI for the huge Championship game against West Brom on Friday night at Elland Road.

Bielsa was talking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the game which is being shown live on Sky Sports.

He said that the starting XI would be the same as the team that lost against QPR, as would the bench.

That means the starting XI is: Casilla, Alioski, Cooper, Jansson, Ayling, Phillips, Harrison, Klich, Roberts, Hernandez and Bamford.

OPINION

Some Leeds fans don’t like the fact that Bielsa announces his starting XI before each game, but it doesn’t bother the manager at all. It’s generally the first thing he says in the press conference, regardless of what he’s been asked. He started it not long after spygate but that’s actually coincided with a slump in form. Does it give the opposition team much of an advantage? There’s an unwritten rule in poker that says you should never give your opponent information he hasn’t earned. What purpose does it achieve here? If it gives Leeds’ opponents even a 1% advantage then he shouldn’t be doing it. Having said that, Bielsa’s line-ups are so predictable that you could pretty much predict who’s going to line-up each and every week. He’s not a man for surprises. The game against West Brom on Friday night at Elland Road is huge. A Leeds win will put them back on top of the table and should calm some of the nerves that seem to have sprung up around Elland Road in the past few weeks. 

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