Leeds United are back in action in the Championship this afternoon as they take on Millwall at Elland Road after Ipswich Town played on Saturday.
The Whites know that all three points will take them back into the automatic promotion places as they battle it out with Leicester City, the Tractor Boys, and Southampton to secure a place in the top two.
They are aiming to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, following their relegation at the end of last season, and a win against Neil Harris' side today would be another step in the right direction.
Daniel Farke's men come into this match off the back of a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the second tier, having beaten Stoke City in their previous league outing.
Despite the win in their last game against the Owls, the German head coach must make at least one change to his XI as Crysencio Summerville should be brutally ditched from the team to be replaced by Dan James.
Crysencio Summerville's stats against Sheffield Wednesday
The 22-year-old wizard has not been at his sparkling best in recent weeks and that was clear in his disappointing display against Wednesday.
He lined up on the left flank as part of the attack alongside Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto, and Patrick Bamford but failed to make an impact in the final third.
In 83 minutes on the pitch, Summerville only created one chance for his teammates, which was not a 'big chance', and ended the game with 0.11 xA.
His fellow attackers were, however, able to provide him with a terrific opportunity in front of goal. Gnonto played the ball through to the winger to send him one-on-one against James Beadle, and the former Feyenoord failed to finish as the young shot-stopper made the save.
This meant that Summerville, who also lost both of his aerial duels, came off the pitch with one key pass, one 'big chance' missed, and zero goals and assists to show for his efforts.
He has now gone six matches in all competitions without a single goal or assist on the left flank, which suggests that the well has dried up in front of goal for him.
In those six outings, Summerville had 13 shots at goal and missed two 'big chances'. The attacker was wasteful with the opportunities that came his way, and should now be brutally ditched from the XI.
It has been a sustained – with over around 436 minutes since his last goal contribution – dip in form and Farke must react by dropping the talented forward to the bench, in the hope that it will bring a reaction from him off the bench or in the future matches.
Leeds will want the Dutchman to be back at his best as they know that he can be an explosive and devastating force to Championship defences when he is in full flow.
Crysencio Summerville's Championship stats
The Whites star, in spite of his recent struggles at the top end of the pitch, has been one of the best forward players in the division as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his side.
In fact, only three players – Adam Armstrong, Morgan Whittaker, and Sammie Szmodics – have scored more goals than the 22-year-old dynamo (15) in the Championship this term, which shows that he has been one of the biggest goalscoring threats in the league.
Summerville also ranks third in the division for Expected Assists (xA) with 9.73 but has only been rewarded with eight assists for his efforts, which suggests that his teammates have not taken advantage of the quality of chances he has been able to create for them throughout the season.
Sofascore rating
7.79
1st
Expected Goals
13.38
1st
Goals
15
1st
Expected Assists
9.73
1st
Assists
8
2nd
Key passes per game
2.8
1st
As you can see in the table above, the impressive magician has been an outstanding performer for the Whites in a host of key attacking metrics, which speak to his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
However, that ability in the final third has not been on display in recent weeks, with his six-game drought, which is why James should be unleashed ahead of him against Millwall.
Dan James' Championship stats this season
The Wales international should replace Summerville in the starting XI as he also has the quality to score and create goals from a wide position, but has been in better form than his teammate of late.
James has produced one goal and one assist in his last five appearances for Leeds in all competitions, with the winning goal in the 1-0 win over Stoke and an assist in the 3-1 success over Leicester.
Minutes played
90
Sofascore rating
7.5
Goals
1
Key passes
4
Dribbles completed
1
As you can see in the table above, the Welsh gem created four chances to go along with his winning goal, which was a well-struck but deflected effort into the corner.
The former Manchester United forward, who was hailed as "really clinical" by Farke earlier this season, has scored 11 goals from 8.90 xG in 24 Championship outings. This shows that he has been lethal in front of goal and made the most of the chances that have come his way, as he has outperformed his xG by around two.
James has also showcased his quality as a creator of goals for others. The £30k-per-week whiz has created 11 'big chances' and assisted his fellow attackers on seven occasions, which suggests that his teammates have let him down at times with wasteful finishing.
These statistics show that the 26-year-old speedster is similar to Summerville in the sense that they both offer a duel threat in the final third, albeit the Dutchman has provided goals and assists more frequently over the course of the campaign.
Therefore, it would make sense to replace the 22-year-old – who is in poor form – with James for this afternoon's clash with Millwall at Elland Road, as he could do a similar job down the left flank to cause the away team constant problems with his running and quality on the ball.