Eddie Nketiah might’ve made a goalscoring start to life at Leeds United, but the forward’s wait for a full Championship debut looks set to continue this weekend at Wigan.

Leeds head to the DW Stadium looking for a return to winning ways in the Championship following last weekend’s draw with Nottingham Forest, but Bielsa confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the side would be unchanged.

That, of course, means that Nketiah won’t be involved from the start, with Patrick Bamford likely to lead the line and look to build on the one goal he has to his name so far this season.

Nketiah wasn’t involved on the bench versus Forest, but with his midweek goal, you imagine that Bielsa will probably draft him into the 18 and give him a chance.

Nevertheless, we take a look at THREE reasons why this particular selection call might come back to haunt Leeds…

Bamford’s confidence

 

Everyone in the Championship knows that Bamford is a confidence player; when he’s scoring goals, they come regularly, but when he’s out of touch, he struggles.

Right now, he’s probably on the edge of being out of touch. Yes, he got a goal against Bristol City on the opening day, but should’ve added to that against Forest and Salford City.

The confidence wasn’t there in either outing, which is a concern for Leeds.

He could really do with settling the nerves early on at Wigan.

The side’s lack of cutting edge

 

Following on from the previous point, if Bamford isn’t scoring, Leeds don’t have the look of a clinical side.

That was the case last weekend against Forest, with 15 shots bringing only one goal.

Last season, this cost Leeds in the promotion race, and Bielsa can’t allow that to happen again.

They need their strikers in form.

Arsenal’s long-term stance over Nketiah

Of course, it is early days for Nketiah at Leeds, and Arsenal wouldn’t expect the Whites to throw him straight in the starting XI.

However, they need to tread carefully when it comes to his minutes.

Arsenal want to see their player progress, and they’ll want him as first-choice within a couple of months.

This Saturday’s selection won’t impact whether Arsenal are happy with Leeds’ handling of the striker, but if it’s a long-term plan of Bielsa’s, there will be a problem.