Leeds United will face off against Sheffield United on Friday night at Elland Road in a critical matchup for the automatic two promotion spots to the Premier League next season.
The Blades are currently in second place, while the Yorkshire side are in fifth, and only three points separate the two squads in the table. Nonetheless, this match feels like a must-win for Leeds, considering how their last game played out.
Daniel Farke and his team had a win that was in the bag, but it quickly escaped them after goalkeeper Illan Meslier’s mishap led to the equalizing goal. As a result, a draw or loss wouldn’t be ideal, as it will probably cause the supporters to grow concerned about whether they can challenge for the top two spots.
Sheffield United standout discusses Leeds clash this Friday
Sheffield United winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi believes the match against Leeds is undoubtedly a ‘very important’ one. However, the loan player is confident that there’s nothing in the Championship that the Blades can’t handle.
“We know we’ve got to come back sharp because we’ve got a very important game against Leeds”, Rak-Sakyi told his club’s media. “We know we can only focus on the next game and who’s in front of us and we don’t want to look too far ahead.
“We just want to take each game as it comes and obviously we’ve got some tough fixtures coming up but there is nothing that we can’t handle and aren’t ready for.”
One player who will probably be fit for this clash is Ao Tanaka. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds will evaluate Tanaka’s fitness when he returns from international duty. However, the Japan international is likely to be back in time for the Whites’ match against Sheffield.
Tanaka is expected to return to Thorp Arch and join Daniel Farke’s final training session before Leeds resumes their Championship campaign, but this will depend on the assessment from the club’s medical team.
All players returning from international duty will follow the same process at Thorp Arch. According to the YEP, Tanaka is expected to be cleared to play after coming through Japan’s latest match without any issues.