Jayden Bogle and Daniel Farke at Leeds United.
Portsmouth star ready to hand Jayden Bogle and Leeds United huge blow
Leeds United head to Portsmouth this weekend aiming to return to winning ways after a run of five straight victories came to an end last time out.
While the home draw with West Brom was frustrating for Leeds and Daniel Farke (1 March), the bigger picture of 16 points from a possible 18 – including two wins over fellow promotion rivals – is a much brighter one.
Farke takes his troops to the South Coast this Sunday (9 March) to take on a Portsmouth side who could be quietly confident given a home record of six wins from their last eight at Fratton Park.
For Leeds, and one player in particular, there could certainly be added cause for concern up against the talisman of John Mousinho’s team.
Picture of Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle
Leeds United defender Jayden Bogle (Credit: Imago)
Leeds United star at the mercy of Murphy
Jayden Bogle is expected to once again start at right-back on Sunday, in what is a horrific early kick-off for the travelling Leeds fans in Portsmouth.
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But the away support will be there in full voice tucked away in the Milton End of Fratton Park, watching intently with an expectation on their team to get the job done, despite Pompey’s impressive home form.
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Bogle, if selected, will be up against Josh Murphy on Mousinho’s left-hand side – a player who has impressed thoroughly in recent weeks and months, and has just been nominated for the February Player of the Month award in the Championship.
He is Portsmouth’s main creative outlet, keeping full-backs guessing with his unpredictability in possession out wide. Bogle has dealt with many of these wingers before and players at a much higher standard in the Premier League, but there is one key difference here.
The Leeds defender sits precariously on nine yellow cards. A tenth within the next two games will land him with a two-match ban, which would be far from helpful for Farke as the season gathers pace towards the home straight.
Whites fans will shudder at the thought of player absences heading into a period which cost them dearly this time last year, and Bogle knows he must be careful. Of all the players Leeds will prepare for against an underdog Pompey side with whom they drew 3-3 on the opening weekend, Murphy is not the ideal opponent for a full-back desperate to avoid a booking.
It also begs the question, with three games inside six days for Leeds, as to whether Farke could rest Bogle altogether.
Daniel Farke’s men will expect three points
Farke will expect nothing less than three points
Make no bones about it – regardless of how well Portsmouth have performed on home turf, Leeds will win if they are on song.
Arguments to that can be drawn from the opening-weekend draw, but that was a game that Farke’s side win 95 times out of 100 – only for striking the woodwork multiple times, passing up golden chances and letting in the three key offerings they gave Portsmouth, including a penalty which so nearly saw the Blues emerge with a win.
Portsmouth are suffering with multiple defensive injuries which could play directly into the hands of a stunning Leeds attack, especially Joel Piroe who you wouldn’t blame for salivating at the prospect of using the Fratton fixture to aid his Golden Boot bid.
Championship players on nine yellow cards Club
There are 11 players who risk a two-match ban with a booking in their next two
There will be an expectation from the fans who have made the trip – some of them setting off as early as 3am from West Yorkshire – and not least Farke and his staff.
It will be the first of two trips south inside six days, with QPR the next away test on 15 March – the long journeys on the road sandwiching a home clash with Millwall on 12 March.
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