Leeds United head into Sunday’s trip to Selhurst Park knowing they are only three points clear of the relegation zone and badly need a result against Crystal Palace.
Back-to-back home defeats against Manchester City and Sunderland have wiped out what once looked like a comfortable gap, dragging Leeds straight back into the survival battle.
With West Ham starting to pick up points and Nottingham Forest showing signs of a revival, Daniel Farke’s side are well aware that a positive result this weekend could prove crucial in keeping them out of the bottom three.
Daniel Farke has been handed a huge boost ahead of the trip to South London with a top player confirming his return to training for the big game on Sunday.
Noah Okafor confirms his return to training
Leeds missed the presence of Noah Okafor in the frontline in the defeats against Manchester City and Sunderland in the Premier League, respectively.
The Swiss winger has missed the last three league games and the FA Cup win over Norwich due to a hamstring injury.
They have lacked the spark in the front line that Okafor brings, and Farke has been keen to have him back in the squad ahead of the last nine league games of the season.
Okafor has returned to training with the squad ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday, and it is a huge boost for the team.
The winger shared images of himself training with the squad on his Instagram stories and reacted to it with one word.
“Back”, Okafor wrote on his Instagram story.
Farke will take a look at the winger in training today before deciding whether to start him against Palace at Selhurst Park or keep him on the bench.
A timely boost for Leeds ahead of the Palace trip
With Noah Okafor returning at a crucial moment, Leeds United have been handed a timely boost ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace.
| Competition | Premier League 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| Matches | 23 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Minutes Played | 1,278 |
Daniel Farke’s side have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since November and now sit just three points above the relegation zone.
Another disappointing result at Selhurst Park on Sunday would be a major setback, although Leeds still do not look like a team destined for the drop this season.
Tottenham seem to be the team that are sleepwalking towards relegation, but Leeds need a result at Selhurst Park on Sunday to calm nerves.
They cannot bank on another team to implode for them to survive in the Premier League this season.
