With automatic promotion now out of their hands and firmly in the grasp of Ipswich Town, Leeds United have been handed more potential bad news in the form of injury concerns ahead of their clash against Southampton.
Leeds injury news
Likely destined for the play-offs, Leeds will hope to see any injury concerns ease before a potential trip to Wembley with promotion to the Premier League on the line, making the Southampton game one that should be approached with caution. The game itself is a preview of the potential Championship play-off final, with Leeds on course to face West Bromwich Albion as things stand, whilst Southampton would face Norwich City to set up the final.
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That said, the Whites won’t be at full strength on this occasion, with their injury list dealing Daniel Farke a frustrating blow. The Leeds boss felt the absences in full last time out, when his side were shocked by relegation-battling Queens Park Rangers in a stunning 4-0 defeat at Loftus Road. Whilst Farke will be keen to avoid a repeat this weekend, his injury issues remain.
The former Norwich City manager confirmed his side’s injury concerns in his press conference before the Southampton game, revealing that Patrick Bamford and Connor Roberts are late doubts.
Whether Farke wants to risk both Bamford and Roberts remains to be seen, but the last thing he’ll want is to have any regrets come full time. His focus may just be shifting towards the play-offs as Ipswich Town race towards automatic promotion.
“Exceptional” Bamford can still make the difference
Whilst Bamford has struggled to find his best form at times in a Leeds shirt in recent years, his experience on the big stage can still make all the difference, especially in the play-offs. Getting him back for those games should be seen as one of Leeds’ priorities in the coming week, avoiding the risk of starting him against Southampton.
Bamford is a player who has received incredibly high praise at his best, including from Jurgen Klopp. The Liverpool manager said via the Metro back in 2021: “I can remember before the season I heard on talkSPORT that people said, ‘Leeds need a proper goalscorer, Bamford is not good enough’.
“I’m so happy that he could prove them wrong, he’s an exceptional player, perfect. The work rate is outstanding and still playing the football he plays on top of that and scoring goals, that’s rare.”
It will, therefore, be a major blow if Bamford not only misses this weekend’s clash against Southampton, but then also the potential play-off semi-final tie, should the Whites be forced to go down that route, which looks likely. At his best, the Englishman is still capable of being the difference-maker.