Bailey Peacock-Farrell will be expecting to return to the Leeds United starting XI this weekend when the Whites take on Millwall at Elland Road.  

Leeds were left frustrated last time out after losing Kiko Casilla to a red card against Sheffield United, which means that Marcelo Bielsa’s Spanish first choice is suspended for Millwall’s visit.

And, that reopens the door for Peacock-Farrell to come into the side for the first time since defeat to Stoke City in January.

[ad_pod ]

 

The 22-year-old goalkeeper had started the season as first choice, but Casilla’s arrival has forced him to settle for a place on the bench.

Nevertheless, the goalkeeper has had the perfect preparation for the Millwall test, with two games for Northern Ireland over the international break.

Peacock-Farrell has helped the side to two wins from two, with Northern Ireland edging past Estonia and Belarus.

Here, we take a look at why the international break came at the perfect time for Leeds’ returning goalkeeper…

Important minutes under his belt

 

Peacock-Farrell had played only in the under-23s since that defeat to Stoke, with the goalkeeper deprived of competitive football.

After international duty he’s had a taste of it again and will be ready to go.

These minutes could be vital.

Competitive nature of Northern Ireland’s fixtures

 

The minutes are important to Peacock-Farrell, but if they came in a meaningless friendly they’d be little use to him.

But, Northern Ireland are looking to qualify for Euro 2020 and are in a competitive group alongside Holland and Germany.

They needed to win against Estonia and Belarus, which they have, with Peacock-Farrell impressive.

How competitive those games were is a massive plus.

Peacock-Farrell’s confidence

 

There’s no getting away from the fact that Leeds bringing in Casilla and establishing him as No.1 will have dented Peacock-Farrell’s confidence.

However, returning with two composed performances for his country will boost him ahead of his Leeds return.

He will be confident coming back into the starting line-up and looking to retain his place beyond that.