Leeds United: Daniel Farke has huge Archie Gray, Joel Piroe dilemma v Southampton - View | OneFootball

Leeds United face Southampton on Sunday at Wembley in the Championship play-off final, and Daniel Farke already has a few selection headaches to decide on.

Following relegation last term, Leeds came into this season as one of the favourites for automatic promotion, and were neck-and-neck for much of the season with Southampton, during what was a four-way race for the top two alongside Ipswich Town and Leicester City.

The latter two won that race, meaning Norwich City in the play-offs, who Leeds dispatched in convincing style after initially drawing the first-leg of their semi-final 0-0. A stunning 4-0 win at Elland Road will have handed them a confidence boost ahead of a mouth-watering Wembley clash.

After overcoming the Canaries and West Brom on aggregate, the third and fourth placed teams will now get the chance to make an immediate return to the top-flight by winning the so-called ‘richest game in football’ at Wembley, with millions expected to tune in for the EFL's main event of the year.

Leeds needed a boost after a poor end to the season during the run-in, with their last victory coming in a 4-3 win away at Middlesbrough, but prior to that you had to go back to a 3-1 win over Hull City at Elland Road on Easter weekend. The team performance across the board will have given plenty of them the lift required before the biggest matches of most of their lives.

Daniel Farke's dilemma

Play-off finals can often be very nervy and cagey affairs, but the games between the pair this season have seen plenty of goals so far; Southampton won both league matches between the sides earlier this season. A 3-1 win on home soil in September came first before triumphing 2-1 at Elland Road on the final day of the season.

The context of the latter is of importance, where Leeds knew they had to win to stand any chance of gaining automatic promotion, and essentially played into Southampton's hands tactically due to that. The Saints had nothing to play for in that game and played with freedom, carving through Leeds' midfield with ease when they won the ball back.

However, two wins in the regular season certainly gives them a psychological advantage on Sunday, and also highlights Leeds' need to go back to basics in a defensive sense. That is where the Whites have been strong all season, with the second-fewest goals against them in the league, the lowest xGA (expected goals against), and most clean sheets - all stats per Opta.

In the first-leg of the semi-final at Carrow Road, Farke played the same 4-2-3-1 shape but with an extra midfield profile in the team, which is something he had not done all season. It made Leeds far more solid and compact out of possession, with Archie Gray able to aid Georginio Rutter as a more athletic and intense pressing player in the forward line than Joel Piroe, or create a midfield three when required alongside Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev.

It worked, with the Whites creating very little themselves but restricting one of the most free-scoring home teams in the division in Norwich to almost nothing of note. It was much-needed after conceding so frequently in the games prior to that, with nine goals in three league games. However, at Elland Road, Farke went for it when he reinstated Piroe, who in turn rewarded Farke with his best display of the season in a Leeds shirt.

The Dutchman acted as a focal point and stretched in behind, much like Patrick Bamford has done this season, and showed areas of his skillset that had seldom been seen by the Leeds faithful on the terraces. He also scored with a firm header in the 4-0 victory, with almost every goal this season coming with either of his feet; the performance stands him in good stead to start at Wembley.

Daniel Farke v Russell Martin: The tactical battle

With so much at stake, there is a chance this goes the way many finals have done in the past, with a cagey and tight game usually the outcome in recent years, where there have been just 16 goals in the last 10 Championship play-off finals.

Leeds have strong attacking players in transition, which is where they are most likely to win the game. If they can sit in a mid-block and make things difficult for Southampton to play through them, then they can win the tie. However, if they press too aggressively or take the game to Russell Martin with the ball, then they will also be sliced through in midfield themselves.

It's a tricky one for Farke to navigate, who may want to be as solid off the ball as possible, whilst also maintaining as many attacking threats who can score on the counter-attack, too. However, there is a blueprint that has worked in such circumstances before, during a low-scoring affair back in November in a win against Leicester City.

That day, Leeds pressed situationally, with Piroe's lack of intensity aided by placing himself on Harry Winks, who has a lack of athleticism himself. It could be what Farke opts to do with Flynn Downes, who's a similarly less mobile deep-lying playmaker, and one of Southampton's key players. He could also play Gray in this role, who would be able to man-mark Downes diligently all game, but would sacrifice some of the attacking thrust needed to find a winner at the other end.

Of course, Patrick Bamford's return would solve many of these issues totally for Farke, but Piroe has shown flashes of brilliance lately, and improved in his off-ball work as well, which highlights the need to put faith in him from the start. Gray also performed admirably at right-back against Norwich, and switching up a team that won so handsomely may make little sense.

However, tweaking Piroe's role to run off the shoulder in attack less, and defend by sticking to Downes, would also be the most optimal game plan for Farke at Wembley. It's a tough game to call, but if he can't, then Southampton will dictate for most of the game and Leeds will struggle to create counter-attacking moments of their own.