Leeds United are back in action in the Premier League against Crystal Palace this afternoon for the last time before the three-week international break.

The Whites will have a long wait before they are back on the pitch because of this extended break, so they will have to make this clash with the Eagles count.

After beating Newcastle United 4-1 last time out in the division, Daniel Farke will hope that his side are full of confidence and ready to go into the break on a high.

They will have to get the better of Pierre Sage's Crystal Palace side, though, and that will mean that they have to get the better of central midfielder Adam Wharton.

Why Leeds need to stop Adam Wharton

To beat the Eagles, Leeds will need to stop the England international from dictating the game with his exceptional passing ability at the base of their midfield.

Since the start of last season, Wharton has created 24 'big chances' and registered eight assists in all competitions for Palace, creating more 'big chances' than any Leeds player has produced in that time.

The left-footed maestro picked up his latest assist for the Eagles in their 4-0 win against Lech Poznan in the Europa League earlier this week, and the Whites will need to prevent him from getting passes to the forward players.

Wharton was one of the most creative players in the Premier League this season with his passing from deep, which illustrates just how much of a threat he is to Leeds.

Farke, therefore, has to put a plan together to get the better of the central midfielder to ensure that he does not dominate the match at Elland Road this afternoon.

How Leeds can stop Adam Wharton

Thankfully, for Leeds, the German head coach does have a player at his disposal who could be the perfect option to totally silence Wharton today.

Ao Tanaka should be unleashed in central midfield alongside Ethan Ampadu for this clash against the Eagles, because he has the quality to get the better of the England international.

The Japan international also holds an insane club record at Elland Road. He has won 24 and drawn two of his 26 starts at home in all competitions for Leeds, which is a record for any player in the club's history.

That is an extraordinary record for the central midfielder to have, particularly given that he has been in the Premier League for the past 13 months, and shows how important he is to the success of the team.

Whilst Tanaka is not the sole reason why Leeds were unbeaten in all of those matches in the Championship and the Premier League, it is beyond coincidence that they are so effective at Elland Road when he starts.

The Japanese star combines mobility, defensive quality, and technical quality in the middle of the park, which allows him to impact matches in all phases of play.

In the Premier League so far this season, Tanaka ranks highly among his positional peers in a host of defensive and creative statistics across his three appearances.

He won four of his six duels, completed a remarkable 95% of his attempted passes, and had 54 touches of the ball last time out when Leeds beat Newcastle 4-1 at Elland Road in the top-flight.

That was his 24th win on his 26th start in all competitions at home for Leeds and he could make that 25 wins from 27 starts if Farke unleashes him as the player to stop Wharton.

Tanaka ranks in the top 1% of midfielders for duel success rates in the Premier League this season, having won 85% of his ground duels,a and this suggests that he could be the perfect player to press Wharton and win duels against him to stop him dictating the game.

The Japan international could be tasked with pressing high and stopping the Palace midfielder at source, preventing him from having the space that he needs to play progressive passes and create chances for his teammates.

Therefore, Farke should unleash the former Fortuna Dusseldorf star alongside Ampadu in midfield in the hope that he can silence Wharton and keep his incredible club-record run going at Elland Road.