Daniel Farke has named his Leeds United starting XI to take on Brentford this evening
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
19:21, 21 Mar 2026Updated 19:26, 21 Mar 2026
Leeds United striker Lukas Nmecha starts a second straight Premier League game for the first time since December(Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Daniel Farke has decided to keep Lukas Nmecha in this evening’s Leeds United line-up to take on Brentford this evening.
Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin – fresh from his England call-up – started together for only the second time against Crystal Palace as their partnership was cut short at half-time after Gabriel Gudmudsson’s controversial red card.
However, tonight they have the chance to play for longer with Nmecha making the cut. Captain Ethan Ampadu starts in midfield as expected while Brenden Aaronson also retains his place.
Farke is likely to stick with his 3-4-1-2 formation, meaning Anton Stach, who has just received his first call up for Germany in four year drops back and Aaronson sits behind the striker.
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Gudmundsson’s red card means he has to sit out this one, missing only his second Premier League game this season. James Justin predictably comes over to the left wing-back slot with Jayden Bogle coming back into the starting XI on the right.
That means Jaka Bijol, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk start as the back three once again with goalkeeper Karl Darlow hoping to earn consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since 2018.
Leeds now have a fully fit squad for the first time in a long while, thanks to Noah Okafor returning to the matchday squad for the first time since pulling up with a hamstring problem against Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round.
Leeds: Darlow, Rodon, Bijol, Struijk, Justin, Ampadu, Stach Bogle, Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Nmecha.
Subs: Lucas Perri James, Longstaff, Piroe, Okafor, Tanaka, Bornauw, Gnonto, Gruev.
Brentford: Kelleher, van den Berg, Pinnock, Collins, Kayode Jensen, Henderson, Lewis-Potter, Yarmolyuk, Thiago, Schade.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Nelson, Ouattara, Donovan, Furo, Bentt Shield, Stephenson, McManus.
Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia).
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