Leeds United return to FA Cup action this evening as they turn their attention away from the Championship to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Whites have been focused on securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and beat Leicester City 3-1 at Elland Road on Friday in a huge league match.
That win kept the team in the top two and on course to return to the top-flight at the end of the season, as they battle with Ipswich Town and Southampton to finish second.
Chelsea, on the other hand, come into this match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday, thanks to a Virgil van Dijk header in extra-time.
This means that the Blues have had less time to recover and have more minutes in the legs of their players, having played 120 minutes in the final, although Mauricio Pochettino could rotate his squad to mitigate that particular issue.
Daniel Farke could also look to alter his starting XI as Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Patrick Bamford are all doubts through injury.
Outside of those potentially forced changes, the German head coach should finally unleash Connor Roberts from the start for the first time alongside Wilfried Gnonto down the right flank, in place of Archie Gray.
Archie Gray's performance against Leicester
The 17-year-old sensation has enjoyed a terrific first season as a regular in the first-team and produced a solid performance against the Foxes on Friday.
Gray, who has started 30 matches in the Championship this term, was up against the electric Stephy Mavididi but did not embarrass himself on the night.
Minutes played
90
Tackles won
Three
Interceptions
Two
Dribbled past
Once
Sofascore rating
7.4
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the teenage ace did not allow the former Arsenal youngster to get the better of him too often, as the Leicester star completed just one of his five attempted dribbles.
Gray topped his performance off with his first goal for Leeds to put the side 2-1 up in the second half, with the help of a deflection off Wout Faes.
It was initially given as an own goal from the Foxes centre-back during the game but Transfermarkt and Sofascore have both awarded him the strike.
The England U20 international has racked up 36 appearances in all competitions for the first-team so far this season and this cup clash with Chelsea is a perfect opportunity to provide him with a rest.
It also opens the door for Roberts to finally make his full debut for the Whites as a starter, having joined on loan from Premier League side Burnley on deadline day at the start of the month.
Connor Roberts' attacking potential
The Wales international only started eight top-flight games for Burnley this season, prior to his move to Yorkshire, but did catch the eye in the Championship last term.
Vincent Kompany's side won the division to secure promotion up to the Premier League and the 28-year-old full-back played a big role in their success down the right flank.
Roberts started 39 of their 46 league matches in the second tier during the 2022/23 campaign and contributed with four goals and six assists.
He ranked within the top 16% of Championship full-backs for assists (0.15) per 90, and the top 19% for non-penalty goals (0.10) per 90 for the Clarets.
The experienced gem also ranked within the top 1% of full-backs in the division for progressive passes (7.37) per 90, which shows that he was constantly looking to advance the ball to his teammates in dangerous positions.
These statistics show that Roberts was an outstanding attacking outlet for Burnley at right-back as he ranked highly amongst his positional peers when it came to progressing play, creating chances for his teammates, and scoring goals.
His quality in the final third has already helped Leeds this season. He came off the bench and scored the equaliser against Leicester with a composed right-footed finish into the bottom corner from Rutter's deflected cut-back.
The 5 foot 9 energetic dynamo, who journalist Laurie Whitwell claimed has "boundless energy", could be an exciting option to play alongside Gnonto on the right side of the pitch.
Wilfried Gnonto's terrific run of form
The Italy international has found his best form in a Leeds shirt this season in recent weeks after a difficult start to the 2023/24 campaign for the young gem.
He reportedly handed in a transfer request last summer after being denied a move to Premier League side Everton and struggled to get into Farke's starting XI after the club opted to keep hold of him.
Gnonto only started seven league matches during the first half of the campaign and contributed with one goal and one assist for the Yorkshire-based side, which shows that he was not delivering regular quality at the top end of the pitch.
Since the turn of the year, however, the Italian whiz has started five Championship games and racked up an eye-catching four goals and one assist for the Whites.
The 20-year-old ace also scored in the last round of the FA Cup against Plymouth as Leeds won 4-1 at Home Park after extra-time, with a crisp finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Goals
Five
Assists
One
Dribbles completed
Six
Sofascore rating
7.6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Gnonto has provided a huge threat on the right wing with his ability to score and create goals over the last six matches in all competitions.
The former Zurich star is in electric form and could, actually, benefit from Roberts coming in to provide his own attacking quality from right-back.
It could give defenders another thing to think about and, potentially, provide Gnonto with more space to work with if the opposition are distracted by the loanee's marauding runs down the wing.
Roberts could draw attention from the opposition and provide the Italian winger with the chance to then drift inside and cause problems through the middle to support Joel Piroe.
