OPINION
Marcelo Bielsa will take charge of his biggest game yet as Leeds United manager when the Yorkshire giants take on Derby County on Saturday in the first-leg of their play-off semi-final at Pride Park.
Leeds have been hit with a double injury blow ahead of the trip to the East Midlands with Tyler Roberts ruled out of the game and doubts surrounding the fitness of Pontus Jansson.
However if Bielsa wants to name his best possible team for the clash with Frank Lampard’s side then he must take a gamble and start Jansson in the heart of the defence as replacing him with Gaetano Berardi would seriously weaken the defence and the chances of a Leeds win.
The Argentine should look to make just one change from the team that lost to Ipswich on the final day of the regular Championship season and that is to axe 27-year-old Adam Forshaw and replace him with impressive teenager Jamie Shackleton.
Kiko Casilla was poor against Ipswich in the 3-2 defeat at Portman Road but he remains a better option in goals that Bailey Peacock-Farrell, so he should start behind an unchanged back-four of Luke Ayling, Jansson, Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas.
Ezgjan Alioski and Barry Douglas are both out for the rest of the season so Dallas is the best option for the role with them two missing and youngster Leif Davis also injured recently.
Kalvin Phillips should start at the base of the midfield with Mateusz Klich and Shackleton just ahead of him in the central roles.
Shackleton, 19, has impressed in both the first team and Carlos Corberan’s Under-23s side this season and is a much better option in the midfield than Forshaw.
Out of the last nine matches that the senior player has started in the Championship, Leeds have won just two games, so starting him against Derby would be a grave error by Bielsa.
In the attack, Bielsa should not make any changes.
Roberts is injured and Patrick Bamford is ruled out due to suspension so there is not a lot that Bielsa can do to improve on those who started against Ipswich last week.
Pablo Hernandez is a no-brainer to start on the right wing while Jack Harrison should start on the left and Kemar Roofe up front as the centre-forward.
This is Leeds’ best possible starting line-up for the trip to Derby and if Bielsa opts to go with these 11 players, then the Whites should be able to smash past the Rams and put one foot into the play-off final at Wembley last this month.