This Week's Opposition: Leeds United

Domestic football is finally back and it’s time to prepare for Portsmouth’s first game back in the Championship after 12 years away, having been promoted as League One title winners last season.

It doesn’t get much tougher for the Blues for their Championship return - Defeated Play-Off finalists Leeds United await at Elland Road.

John Mousinho’s side will make the 500-mile round trip to West Yorkshire on Saturday, so let’s take a closer look into the opposition now.

MANAGER

Daniel Farke is at the helm for The Whites.

Farke spent most of his playing career as a forward for SV Lippstadt, where he also began his managerial career. 

After a spell with Borussia Dortmund’s reserves, he then managed Norwich City for 4 years. In his second season at Carrow Road he oversaw Norwich promoted as Championship title winners in the 2018/19 season.

Farke’s side were instantly relegated back down, however won the Championship and secured an immediate return to the Premier League with a club record 97 points in 2021.

In July 2023, Farke was appointed as manager of Leeds United on a 4-year contract. He accumulated 90 points in his first season as manager of the club but failed to achieve promotion to the top flight.

ONE TO WATCH

Our one to watch is France Under-21 international Georginio Rutter.

The attacking midfielder signed with Leeds on a 5-and-a-half-year contract for a club record fee in January 2023, when the side were in the Premier League.

Last season, Rutter flourished under Farke when he moved into the number 10 role, from which he contributed 7 goals and 16 assists throughout the campaign.

He also scored the 3rd goal in a 4-0 victory over Norwich City, which took Leeds to the Play-Off Final at Wembley back in May.

TOP SCORER

As the 2024/25 campaign has yet to begin, we instead look at last season’s top goalscorer, which was winger Crysencio Summerville.

He joined The Whites for an undisclosed fee from Feyenoord, signing a 3-year contract in September 2020.

The 22-year-old bagged 21 goals and 10 assists in 49 appearances last season and was also named the Championship Player of the Season and earned a place in the Championship Team of the Season at the EFL Awards back in April.

Summerville is no longer with Leeds after he signed a 5-year contract with West Ham United earlier this summer.

CURRENT FORM

Farke’s side missed out on automatic promotion by 6 points last season.

After advancing to the Play-Off Final, they missed out on promotion when Southampton’s Adam Armstrong scored in the 24th minute - That proved to be the only goal of the game at Wembley.

Despite missing out, Leeds finished with a strong season, winning 27 of their 46 matches and bagging 81 goals.

Leeds rounded off their pre-season campaign with 4 wins from 4 after a 2-1 victory over Valencia at Elland Road last weekend.

The last time these sides met was back in February 2012, when the match ended in a goalless draw in the Championship.

Can the Blues get off to a flyer on the opening day of the season and their first game back in the Championship after over a decade out of it?

Catch all of the unmissable action on Pompey Live this Saturday morning from 11am, which is when a new-look panel consisting of Jake Smith, Kirsty Roxanne and James Wilson provide full coverage of this Championship encounter LIVE from Elland Road.

Kick-off: 12:30pm!