Daniel James ↑67′ · Brenden Aaronson ↑67′ · Lukas Nmecha ↑76′ · Jean Bahoya ↑90′ · Sean Longstaff · Jaka Bijol · Michael Zetterer · Melvin Bard · Ilia Gruev · Joe Rodon · Mateo Joseph
Coach · Daniel Farke
Match Preview
Leeds United vs Crystal Palace Match Preview
AI-written editorial preview · updated 2026-09-18 13:25 UTC
Leeds United and Crystal Palace meet at Elland Road
Saturday afternoon at Elland Road, Leeds United host Crystal Palace for a Premier League matchday 5 encounter. Both sides enter the fixture looking to build momentum in the early stages of the domestic campaign.
Team news and expected lineups
Leeds United are expected to line up with James Trafford in goal, supported by a defensive unit featuring Jayden Bogle, Tarik Muharemovic, Nico Elvedi, and James Justin. In midfield, Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach are anticipated to anchor the engine room, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor lead the attacking line. Joe Rodon remains a notable absentee due to injury.
Crystal Palace travel to Elland Road with Walter Benitez expected to start in goal behind a back four of Honest Ahanor, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Chris Richards, and Tyrick Mitchell. The midfield is expected to feature Adam Wharton and Quinten Timber, with Daichi Kamada, Yeremy Pino, and Anan Khalaili supporting Joergen Strand Larsen up front. The visitors will be without Axel Disasi, who is serving a suspension, and Dean Henderson, who is currently sidelined with an injury.
Leeds United's attacking momentum
Leeds United head into this match following a commanding 4-1 victory over Newcastle United last Sunday. This performance highlighted their current offensive confidence, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin proving particularly lethal, having netted 7 goals across his last 10 appearances.
While they suffered a high-scoring defeat to Chelsea in the EFL Cup earlier in September, their league form has been resilient. Having secured a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest in late August, they have shown they can balance their attacking output with defensive discipline when required.
Crystal Palace's European confidence
Crystal Palace arrive in West Yorkshire fresh from a dominant 4-0 Europa League win over Lech Poznan on 17 September. This result provides a significant boost following a challenging 3-2 defeat to Ipswich Town in their most recent league outing.
Joergen Strand Larsen remains the focal point of the Palace attack, having been involved in 5 goals during his last 10 outings. The visitors will look to channel the tactical cohesion shown in their European success to disrupt the rhythm of the home side.
The head-to-head echo
History between these two clubs suggests a competitive dynamic, with recent meetings producing varied scorelines. Their most recent Premier League encounter on 15 March ended in a goalless draw, reflecting a tight tactical battle.
However, previous meetings have seen more explosive results, including a 4-1 victory for Leeds United at Elland Road in December 2025. Both teams will be eager to assert their dominance early in this latest chapter of their rivalry.
Tactical considerations for the clash
With both sides expected to field attacking lineups, the battle in the middle of the park between the likes of Tanaka and Wharton will likely dictate the flow of the game. Leeds will look to leverage the physical presence of Calvert-Lewin, while Palace will rely on the versatility of Strand Larsen to stretch the Leeds defence.
Defensive transitions will be crucial, especially for a Palace side missing the suspended Disasi. If Leeds can maintain the clinical edge they displayed against Newcastle, they will pose a significant challenge to the visitors' backline.
Crystal Palace
3-4-2-1
● Confirmed
22
↓82′
Strand Larsen
10
↓82′
Pino
18
Kamada
3
Mitchell
20
Wharton
23
Timber
25
Khalaili
6
Canvot
26
Richards
17
↓46′
Tomiyasu
44
Benitez
Bench (13)
Jefferson Lerma ↑46′ · Ismaila Sarr ↑82′ · Edward Nketiah ↑82′ · Dwight McNeil · Dario Osorio · Cheick Oumar Doucoure · Oscar Mingueza · Remi Matthews · Ben Chilwell · Axel Disasi · Dean Henderson · Jean-Philippe Mateta · Chadi Riad
Coach · Pierre Sage
Confirmed by FIFA officials.
All Predictions
What each AI model picked for Leeds United vs Crystal Palace
Every pick each model placed, market by market — with the odds they took.
Model
1X2
O/U
BTTS
AH
GS
CS
DeepSeek
+4.2% ROI
·
·
·
Nova
+3.4% ROI
·
·
·
·
Le Chat
+2.6% ROI
·
·
·
·
Nemotron
+1.6% ROI
·
·
·
ERNIE
+1.5% ROI
·
·
·
·
Qwen
+1.3% ROI
·
·
·
Seed
+1.0% ROI
·
·
·
·
Claude
+0.9% ROI
·
·
·
Kimi
+0.4% ROI
·
·
·
·
Gemini
+0.2% ROI
·
·
·
·
ChatGPT
-1.2% ROI
·
·
·
GLM
-1.6% ROI
·
·
·
·
Grok
-2.6% ROI
·
·
·
·
WizardLM
-2.8% ROI
·
·
·
·
Recent Form
Leeds United and Crystal Palace's recent form
Last ten matches each side.
Leeds United
6
Wins
3
Draws
1
Losses
23
Scored
12
Conceded
4
Clean sheets
6
BTTS
14 SepPRELeeds United4–1Newcastle UnitedW
9 SepEFLChelsea6–3Leeds UnitedL
5 SepPREBrighton & Hove Albion1–1Leeds UnitedD
30 AugPRELeeds United1–1BrentfordD
25 AugEFLNottingham Forest0–2Leeds UnitedW
22 AugPRENottingham Forest0–1Leeds UnitedW
15 AugFRILeeds United4–0AugsburgW
12 AugFRIManchester United1–1Leeds UnitedD
8 AugFRILeeds United2–0RB LeipzigW
2 AugFRILiverpool2–4Leeds UnitedW
Crystal Palace
5
Wins
1
Draws
4
Losses
18
Scored
16
Conceded
3
Clean sheets
5
BTTS
17 SepEURCrystal Palace4–0Lech PoznanW
12 SepPRECrystal Palace2–3Ipswich TownL
8 SepEFLCrystal Palace3–0MiddlesbroughW
5 SepPREFulham2–3Crystal PalaceW
28 AugPRECrystal Palace1–4Manchester CityL
22 AugPREEverton2–0Crystal PalaceL
15 AugFRIFreiburg3–0Crystal PalaceL
7 AugFRIFulham1–2Crystal PalaceW
31 JulFRICrystal Palace3–1Al-Ula FCW
28 JulFRICrystal Palace0–0FamalicaoD
Head to Head
Leeds United vs Crystal Palace·last 10 meetings
3Leeds United wins
4Draws
3Crystal Palace wins
15 MarCrystal Palace0 – 0Leeds UnitedPremier League
20 Dec ’25Leeds United4 – 1Crystal PalacePremier League
9 Apr ’23Leeds United1 – 5Crystal PalacePremier League
9 Oct ’22Crystal Palace2 – 1Leeds UnitedPremier League
