Leeds United host Premier League relegation rivals Southampton at Elland Road on Saturday, with newly-appointed manager Javi Gracia taking charge of his first game with the Whites.

They are currently 19th in the top-flight table following defeat at Goodison Park last weekend, giving Everton their opportunity to rise out of the relegation zone, so it will be crucial in their chances of survival to take all three points from their bottom-of-the-table opponents this weekend.

After being announced as the club's new manager on Wednesday, Gracia is just getting his feet under the table at the club but could make a number of important tweaks and changes to the starting side on Saturday to ensure that his first outing goes off without a hitch.

The former Watford boss will have had limited time to work out who his best players will be going forward, although simply watching the poor performances which have unfolded in recent months should give the manager a fair representation of where changes need to be made.

As a result, Gracia could now boldly ditch Patrick Bamford when the Saints pay a visit to Yorkshire tomorrow and instead give a golden opportunity to Georginio Rutter to prove himself in the centre-forward role.

Will Bamford start against Southampton?

It could be considered a risky move for Gracia to come in and make big changes to the team, but considering Leeds' position in the league and limited remaining opportunities to collect enough points to survive in the Premier League, it could massively pay off to mix things up in terms of team selection.

Leeds have not won a top-flight game since the beginning of November and Bamford has failed to find the net in his last five league outings, with his last goal coming in the defeat to Aston Villa in January.

In fact, out of the four league wins that the Whites have picked up this season, the £70k-per-week striker has only been involved in two, with the team losing nine of the 16 games in which he has played a part.

The 29-year-old - whose touch has been described by Alan Shearer as "terrible" - hasn't been able to return to his form of previous years after suffering a string of injury issues, and Gracia could now spark a new era at Elland Road by instead opting for Rutter to offer a fresh perspective in front of goal.

The January signing hasn't scored in his five Leeds outings so far, although he did prove his worth in the Bundesliga last term with eight goals, and it's only right that he gets ample opportunity to repay his club-record £36m fee.

The new manager could become an instant hit at Elland Road if his team selection and style of play pays off, but he could also become an instant villain should his methods fall flat. Having the guts to drop some underperforming players whilst exercising a level of caution could be the perfect combination for success against Southampton.