Troy Deeney aims brutal dig at Daniel Farke as Leeds United prepare for Preston North End

Leeds United dropped to second in the Championship after Sheffield United's hard-fought win at Millwall. It means the Whites trail their South Yorkshire counterparts by a solitary point following the midweek fixtures.

But the Whites will reclaim top spot if they avoid defeat at Preston North End in Saturday's early kick-off. Chris Wilder's Blades outfit host relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle later in the day.

Big things were expected of Leeds before a ball was even kicked following their promotion near-miss last season. A 1-0 loss to Southampton in the Championship play-off final at Wembley back in May condemned them to another year in the second tier of English football.

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Pundit Troy Deeney says United's hierarchy were right to keep faith with Daniel Farke over the summer after they came within a whisker of sealing an instant Premier League return. Expectations are high at Elland Road going into the 2024/25 campaign and Deeney believes Farke has to deliver promotion this time around.

The former Watford striker told talkSPORT: “Huge year for him [Farke] though because he has to get them up. They always start the seasons well so it’s more the nitty gritty of between February and the end of the year whether they’ll just get it over the line. They should’ve done it last year.”

It will be fascinating to see if Farke makes changes to his starting XI for the trip to Deepdale after their impressive win at home to Middlesbrough. Full-back Jayden Bogle could come into Farke's thoughts should he recover in time from a hamstring problem. Ethan Ampadu, Largie Ramazani, Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe will also be hoping for recalls as the Whites go in search of a third straight win.