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Rotherham United and Leeds United kick off the 17th round of the EFL Championship clash at the New York Stadium this Saturday.

Both teams have seen different trajectories this season, with the hosts currently struggling for points near the bottom of the standings.

Rotherham United suffered a significant 5-0 loss against Watford just before the international break. Matt Taylor's team has been on a four-game winless streak, with two draws and two losses since their 2-0 victory over Coventry City on October 25.

Sitting at 22nd place with 11 points from 16 matches, Rotherham trails Huddersfield Town by four points, narrowly outside the relegation zone.

Contrarily, Leeds United has been in good form, securing a 2-1 win against Plymouth Argyle in their latest match.

Under Daniel Farke's guidance, Leeds has triumphed in three consecutive games and won six of their last seven league matches since the beginning of October.

With 31 points from 16 matches, Leeds holds the third position in the Championship table, trailing first-placed Leicester City by eight points.

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Leeds United has had a slightly better track record with 17 wins out of the last 37 encounters against Rotherham United, who have secured three fewer victories. They've drawn six times in that period.

In recent clashes, Leeds United has been dominant, enjoying a four-game winning streak against Rotherham, scoring nine times and conceding only twice since their last loss in April 2016. Rotherham United, however, has shown strength at home, being unbeaten in five out of their last six games with two wins and three draws since September.

Leeds United, aiming to narrow the gap on the top two in the Championship, heads to face Rotherham United this Friday.

On the flip side, Rotherham is struggling, four points away from safety and currently without a manager after parting ways with Matt Taylor. Daniel Farke, Leeds' coach, is aware of their attacking prowess this season, scoring three or more goals in five out of their last 14 games across all competitions.

Farke acknowledges the positives from their recent wins against Leicester City and Plymouth Argyle. The 1-0 victory against leaders Leicester ended a streak of four games without a clean sheet, and despite Plymouth's late goal, Leeds showed control in the match.

Farke understands the importance of accumulating points, especially with Leeds striving to reduce the eight-point gap to the top two.

Despite recent successes, Leeds hasn't consistently performed well in their away games, already suffering three losses in eight games away from Elland Road.

In the meantime, Rotherham now has an interim coaching team comprising Wayne Carlisle, Scott Brown, and Dan Green following the decision to dismiss Taylor after their recent game. Their last match resulted in a disappointing 5-0 loss against Watford, merely four days after an impressive 2-2 draw against second-placed Ipswich.

Despite the promising draw, the team's overall performance under Taylor was unsatisfactory, gathering only 11 points from 15 games in the 2023-24 season, with five points earned in their most recent five matches. Consequently, a change in leadership was deemed necessary rather than granting Taylor additional time to improve results.

Rotherham had anticipated a permanent managerial appointment by now, especially considering the international break, but it seems no definite decision is imminent. This uncertainty leaves one of the league's smaller teams in unfamiliar territory, facing a formidable opponent without a clear direction ahead.