Leeds United head into this weekend's round of Premier League matches aiming for a third consecutive win after victories over Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Whites have been a tad fortunate in their recent fixtures, securing last-minute winners in both matches which has seen them climb seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Nevertheless, with a mere 29 points on the board, head coach Jesse Marsch knows Leeds are not out of the woods just yet and further victories will be required during the final eight games of the season. Saturday afternoon's contest pits Leeds against Ralph Hasenhuttl's Southampton side, who managed to nullify then-coach Marcelo Bielsa's men at St. Mary's Stadium earlier this season.
Leeds were without Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford for that game on the south coast, but will at least be able to call on two of those three players this time around. Raphinha has recovered from a bout of illness which caused him to sit out the win over Wolves and miss Brazil's World Cup qualifiers this month, while Kalvin Phillips has remained on track in his recovery from hamstring surgery.
READ MORE: Jesse Marsch press conference LIVE as Leeds United boss previews Southampton
Leeds confirmed last weekend that Patrick Bamford would be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks with a ruptured plantar fascia in the sole of his foot, meaning he will not be involved this weekend. Marsch expressed his disappointment at the situation, but provided a silver lining: "Personally I was really disappointed that this happened to Patrick. We felt like we were trying to create a progression that protected him but this injury is a tricky one. Unfortunately he ruptured a small part of it. Upon visiting some experts, they've said it's the best thing that could have happened to him long-term. He's actually already feeling better than he did before. We're hopeful this six-week prognosis will be accurate."
The club also provided a comprehensive breakdown of the injuries sustained by players in the win at Molineux 13 days ago: "Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente have all trained this week and will currently be available to play minutes against Southampton next week. Raphinha has also joined in training after recovering from illness. After completing the concussion return to training protocols, we can confirm that Mateusz Klich has returned to the squad. Illan Meslier has suffered severe bruising to his upper thigh and lower torso and therefore not been involved this week, but the French stopper is expected to be fit for the visit of the Saints."
"Leo [Hjelde] was back in training a little bit this week," Marsch added. "Junior [Firpo] is getting closer and closer and ahead of schedule. Jamie Shackleton had a little bit of a calf injury, hopefully he'll be available in a couple of weeks."
In addition, Marsch stated that Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper were both in contention to face Southampton this weekend: "They're both in contention to start, they're both probably not 90 minutes but we're close. I don't think we can start both of them but we'll think very carefully. I've spoken with both already and they're feeling good and looking better. We're really excited to have them in the group. They can have a massive impact."
