Meet the opposition | Leeds United
As Swansea City prepare to host Leeds United at the Swansea.com Stadium this Sunday, we take a closer look at the Yorkshire club.
WHAT'S THEIR STORY?
One of the best-supported clubs in the land, Leeds are back in the Championship following a three-year stint in the Premier League that had ended a 16-year absence from the top-flight.
Having been promoted playing a swashbuckling brand of football under Marcelo Bielsa and making an eye-catching impression in the Premier League, the Yorkshire club ended up being relegated on the final day of last season.
In their history Leeds have won three league titles, as well as an FA Cup and League Cup, while they were beaten European Cup finalists in 1975.
Their last First Division title came in 1992 and they were a top-flight force around the turn of the Millennium, while reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2001.
HOW'S THEIR FORM?
Strong. Leeds have won four out of their last six Championship fixtures, and currently sit third in the table just two points behind leaders, Sunderland.
They have lost just two games so far this season. Those two defeats have come against Millwall and Burnley.
WHO'S THE GAFFER?
Daniel Farke. Playing his entire career in the lower leagues of German football, Farke’s first managerial move came at the helm of his beloved SV Lippstadt, a club he joined three times as a player.
Taking over as manager at the age of 32, Farke led the club from the sixth tier of the German leagues into the fourth, before taking charge of Borussia Dortmund II when Thomas Tuchel was at the helm of the first team of the Bundesliga giants.
Placed in charge of Norwich in 2017, Farke came through a challenging first season at Carrow Road where he laid the foundations for their Championship-winning campaign in 2018-19.
They were relegated from the Premier League, but kept a nucleus of players who had been so effective two years earlier and he secured a top-flight return only to leave Carrow Road in November 2021.
He went on to manage Krasnodar in Russia and Borussia Monchengladbach in his homeland, before being appointed Leeds boss in the summer.
WHO'S THE CAPTAIN?
Pascal Struijk. Belgian centre-back Struijk joined Leeds United in 2018, having been a regular for the club's under-23s side, Struijk made his senior debut against Hull City in December 2019.
Struijk started his career in the Netherlands, as a youth at ADO Den Haag before moving to Ajax in 2016.
The 25-year-old, who has represented the Netherlands at youth level, has played out the full 90 minutes of every game this Championship season.
He's scored two goals so far this season, which came in Leeds' opening game of the campaign against Portsmouth and in their 2-0 victory against Sheffield United at Elland Road.
WHO ARE THE KEY MEN?
Former Swan and Leeds United top scorer Joel Piroe has scored six goals in 15 games in the Championship this season.
The Dutch forward scored on his Leeds debut last term against Ipswich Town, and went on to score 14 goals in all competitions that campaign.
He most recently scored in the Whites' 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers after being introduced as a substitute on November 11.
Youngster and Espanyol academy graduate Mateo Joseph has played in all 15 Championship games this campaign. The 21-year-old has scored two goals which came against Hull City and Sheffield United respectively.
He joined the Yorkshire side in January 2022, initially linking up with their under-21 squad. He made his senior debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup in November 2022, and made his Premier League debut three days later against Tottenham Hotspur.
Italian winger Wilfried Gnonto joined Leeds United on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee in September 2022. In 75 league appearances for The Whites, the youngster has netted 12 times.
The Italian international has been a stand-out figure in Farke's squad this season, scoring twice and assisting five times.