Leicester City is preparing for an important match at the top of the Championship against Leeds United.
Enzo Maresca’s charges hope to find the right answer after Saturday’s defeat to Middlesbrough. The result means the Foxes have a nine-point advantage over Leeds, but that gap could change on Friday night when City take on Daniel Farke’s side at Elland Road.
Leeds recorded a 2-0 away win at Plymouth in their fifth game in 15 days, which has left Farke with a challenge in managing his team. The Leeds boss spoke about the demands of his team’s schedule and expects to be without five players against City.
Like City, Leeds have a huge array of attacking options, with Wilfried Gnonto and Georginio Rutter scoring against Plymouth, playing alongside Crysencio Summerville. However, Farke has already confirmed that Leeds will be without striker Patrick Bamford against City.
The striker suffered a calf injury in the warm-up before the game against Swansea City and Farke explained that he believes Bamford will not be available against the Foxes: “We expect him to be out soon. I don’t expect him to be back for the upcoming game against Leicester. It would be a pleasant positive surprise if he could,” the Leeds boss said last week.
At the same press conference, Farke confirmed that full-back Sam Byram will also not be fit to face City after missing the last two games with a thigh muscle problem. He is joined on the sidelines by teammate Pascal Struijk, who is out with an adductor problem.
“Pascal will undergo an important re-examination early next week and the doctors will decide whether he can extend his training. We will have a clearer opinion next week,” said the Leeds boss.
Both defenders were regulars in the Leeds squad but the loss of Struijk has forced Fark to reconsider his squad. Midfielder Ethan Ampadu has been working with Joe Rodon in the centre of defence since the centre-back was injured.
Elsewhere, backup goalkeeper Karl Darlow is expected to return to fitness in the coming weeks, while Stuart Dallas still has no set date when he will be back to full fitness. The Northern Irishman has been absent since suffering a fractured femur in April 2022.
“Stuart is getting all the time he needs,” Farke explained. “We can’t talk about days or anything else, we support him, he sees different consultants and we try to do everything in the most professional way. We don’t want to put pressure on him in terms of setting a timeframe.”