Leeds United will look to keep their faint Championship play-off hopes alive and try and bring an end to a dreadful run of form when they host Sheffield Wednesday in a big Yorkshire derby at Elland Road on Saturday.

The Whites were on course to pick up just their second win in 13 league matches when they led 2-1 against a lowly Reading at the Madejski Stadium last weekend, but a Eunan O’Kane own goal saw them pick up a 2-2 draw, meaning they only have one Championship win since Boxing Day.

The Yorkshire outfit have gone from being promotion contenders to mid-table mediocrity from the start of the season until the present day following their disappointing sequence of results, but they will feel that they still have a very, very slim chance of ending the campaign in the top six.

Paul Heckingbottom’s men lie 11 points from the play-offs with just nine matches remaining, and the former Barnsley boss will be well aware that his team may have to win all of their matches from now until May to keep their hopes alive of a long-awaited Premier League return.

It certainly won’t be an easy task against their local rivals even if they lie five places and 12 points adrift of them in the standings – a fall from grace from when they finished fourth last term.

Heckingbottom went with a 4-2-3-1 against Jaap Stam’s men but decided to make five changes to the XI that had been beaten 3-0 by leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers previously, and he will be considering making more for the visit of the Owls as he looks to get the win he and the Elland Road faithful desperately want.

Here is how Leeds must line up against Sheffield Wednesday…

Bailey Peacock-Farrell kept his place between the sticks following a tough second senior start for the club in the 3-0 defeat against Wolves, and he didn’t let Heckingbottom down.

The 21-year-old pulled off some impressive saves at the Madejski Stadium, and should keep his spot against the Owls.

With captain Liam Cooper still absent – not exactly to the disappointment of the Leeds fans – Pontus Jansson and Matthew Pennington must continue at the heart of the defence, with Gaetano Berardi featuring at right-back even though he wasn’t at his best against the Royals.

Left-back Laurens De Bock also had a bit of a nightmare up against Modou Barrow last weekend and Heckingbottom should look to bring 19-year-old Tom Pearce into the XI in the Belgian’s place.

Heckingbottom started with Eunan O’Kane in the middle of the park alongside Adam Forshaw at the Madejski Stadium, and while the latter was once again impressive the former doesn’t look to be in form right now, and his day was compounded when he put through his own net.

The 40-year-old manager should look to bring Kalvin Phillips into the XI in place of O’Kane, who was criticised by his own fans after his Reading display, for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday, with the 22-year-old midfielder bringing a combative approach in a local derby.

While he may not have been at his best when he has started in recent weeks, he deserves another opportunity next to Forshaw.

Heckingbottom took Hadi Sacko, Pierre-Michel Lasogga and Stuart Dallas out of the starting line-up for the visit to Reading following the 3-0 loss against Wolves, going with a front four of Ezgjan Alioski, Samu Saiz, Pablo Hernandez and Caleb Ekuban.

It certainly worked as Alioski and Saiz impressed and Hernandez got on the score-sheet, but Ekuban struggled as a lone striker and came under criticism from his own fans afterwards.

Heckingbottom should look to stick with that attacking midfield trio for the visit of Wednesday, with Lasogga replacing Ekuban up top.

Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.