Leeds United face Southampton in their latest Premier League fixture this afternoon. The Whites go up against Ralph Hasenhuttl's men knowing a third consecutive win in-a-row would all but guarantee their Premier League status next season. While it would not make Jesse Marsch's side mathematically safe, it would propel Leeds considerably closer to mid-table than the bottom three.
Southampton will prove no easy opponent, however, having already defeated the Whites 1-0 on the south coast this season. At Elland Road, though, with the welcome return of either Kalvin Phillips or Liam Cooper to the starting XI, and the Saints on the back of four straight defeats, Leeds can be considered slight favourites.
Junior Firpo, Jamie Shackleton, Leo Hjelde, Tyler Roberts and Patrick Bamford will play no part, Marsch confirmed in his pre-match press conference. Firpo is ahead of schedule following a knee injury suffered in Marsch's second game in charge, while Shackleton is continuing to make his recovery from a calf injury but is not yet training with the main group at Thorp Arch. Roberts is ruled out for the season following hamstring surgery, while Bamford's well-documented injury woes see him miss another six weeks with a ruptured plantar fascia. Youngster Hjelde is close to a return, having been successfully operated on last month, but is not deemed fit enough to make the squad this weekend.
