Leeds United are gearing up for a crucial Premier League clash at home against Burnley on Friday night, as they look to bounce back from their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.
Daniel Farke and his squad will be keen to put that disappointment behind them quickly and focus on delivering a strong performance at Elland Road to close out the week.
Having already reached the 40-point mark, often seen as the safety threshold in the Premier League, Leeds know that a win over Burnley on Friday would all but confirm their top-flight status.
Both teams have a few injury headaches ahead of the big game on Friday night, and there are doubts over the availability of certain players.
Leeds vs Burnley team news revealed
Leeds have some good news and some concerning worries ahead of hosting Burnley at Elland Road on Friday night.
Anton Stach is back after making a quick recovery from an ankle injury to make a substitute appearance against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
Sebastiaan Bornauw was also expected to miss the Chelsea clash, but did make the bench at Wembley.
However, the season is over for midfielder Ilia Gruev, who picked up a knee injury at Bournemouth and won’t be available for the final four games of the campaign.
There are also major doubts over Gabriel Gudmundsson’s availability after Daniel Farke confirmed his hamstring injury following the defeat to Chelsea.
Burnley will be without Josh Cullen, who has been nursing a knee injury since December, and Jordan Beyer, who has had a terrible couple of years of injury setbacks.
Former Leeds loanee Conor Roberts will also be missing. He has not played this season due to an Achilles injury and is still some weeks away from training.
Burnley are also sweating over the fitness of Hannibal Mejbri, who has been recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained last month.
Zeki Amdouni has not featured this season after suffering a knee injury last summer. However, he has returned to training with suggestions that he could be available for the final few games of the season.
Axel Tuanzebe is also in doubt at the moment despite playing for his national team in the last international break.
A win on Friday night could be enough
Leeds United aren’t mathematically safe just yet, but with four games remaining, it would take a collapse of epic proportions for them to be dragged into relegation trouble.
That said, a home win over Burnley would ease any lingering nerves and almost certainly move Leeds beyond the reach of Tottenham in the table.
It could even play into Spurs’ hands, as they would then host a Leeds side next month that’s far more relaxed about their Premier League status.
With it shaping up to be a must-win fixture for Tottenham, they’d much rather face a comfortable Leeds team than one still fighting for points in north London.
