Leeds United Chat • Leeds Utd v Aston Villa Match Thread
Aston Villa will be without four key players for their visit to Elland Road on Sunday as pressure begins to mount on Steven Garrard. Only a point separates the two sides, with Leeds four places above their West Midlands counterparts. Steven Gerrard's side have played a game more, and have already lost four games this season (Bournemouth, Palace, West Ham and Arsenal), and have a -4 goal difference.
To make matters worse, Boubacar Kamara (ligament knee damage), Matty Cash (hamstring), Lucas Digne (stress fracture -ankle) and Diego Carlos (Achilles) are all long term absentees, giving Leeds a massive boost.
Leeds Manager Jesse Marsch faces a selection dilemma in defence. Luke Ayling has recovered from knee surgery and has made cameo roles against Brentford and Southampton's U21's unscathed, whilst Rasmus Kristensen has also shaken off the knock he picked up a month ago in training. He averaged an hour against Croatia and France during the International break with Denmark, earning rave reviews.
Fit again Junior Firpo faces a challenge to displace Pascal Struijk at left back, whilst Diego Llorente is expected to drop to the bench in favour of Liam Cooper. Fresh from International duty with Italy, Wilfred Gnonto is hopeful of making the bench on Sunday. He picked up a knock, which led to his withdrawal against Hungary after an hour, but reports indicate it was precautionary.
Patrick Bamford netted a hat trick for the U21's against Southampton, and could be named in the starting line up. The 29yo has participated in four games so far this season (two as a substitute). With only 171 minutes of game time under his belt, he will be desperate to make an impact. He currently has the lowest of all Leeds players on the Whoscored ratings (6.04).
It is believed that Rodrigo will have to sit this one out. He injured his shoulder during the Brentford game, and was unable to continue. Reports indicate that he'll be out for several weeks yet. Luis Sinisterra was Leeds only (fit) player not to participate in training yesterday (due to travelling) but is expected back at Thorp Arch today.
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