Leeds United will be hoping to welcome back some key players this weekend for the visit of Chelsea to Elland Road this weekend. Patrick Bamford, Joe Gelhardt and Liam Cooper were all absent from the trip to St. Mary's last weekend but will hopefully be closing in on a return to fitness.
Leeds are currently unbeaten since the Premier League campaign restarted, with wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and a point last time out against Southampton.
Chelsea also have four points ahead of this weekend's trip to Yorkshire. A 1-0 win over Everton on the opening day of the season before a draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
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Here's the latest on the Leeds United injury front ahead of this weekend's game.
Patrick Bamford – adductor
Bamford limped off in the first half of Leeds’ 2-2 draw with Southampton due to an issue with his adductor. Marsch said post-match, though, that Leeds did not want to take any risks with him and the injury is not serious.
What Marsch said (Aug 13): “Bamford is not bad; he felt tightness in the adductor. He felt he wasn’t 100%, he did not want to stress it.”
Potential return date: 21/08/22
Joe Gelhardt – leg
Gelhardt was left out completely of the Leeds squad that headed down south to face the Saints. Like Bamford, it is not thought to be serious, with the striker picking up a dead leg in training.
What Marsch said (Aug 13): “Joffy was a little bit injured this week and with a lot of games coming up, we just wanted to make sure that we manage him the right way.”
Potential return date: 21/08/22
Liam Cooper - Achilles
Despite returning to training last week, Liam Cooper was not named on the bench for the trip to Southampton. Marsch confirmed his pre-match press conference he was available, so let’s hope he has not aggravated it and he simply needs more time to return to full fitness.
Marsch said (Aug 11): “We’ve had a lot more guys in training this week. So, Luke and Luis have all in their training and are eligible for the weekend.”
Potential return date: 21/08/22
Junior Firpo - knee
Firpo picked up an injury in Leeds' 4-0 pre-season win over Blackpool last month. Initially, Marsch said Firpo would be out for about eight weeks with the injury, but the left-back is 'ahead of schedule'.
Marsch said (Aug 11): “Junior’s probably a couple of weeks behind [Forshaw and Cooper].”
Potential return date: 30/08/22
Luke Ayling - knee
Another player who is ahead of schedule is Ayling. The right-back went under the knife in May after suffering a knee injury. However, the 30-year-old could be back sooner than expected.
Marsch said (Aug 11): “He had a visit to his surgeon down in London, and the surgeon said that he’s ahead of schedule and looking really good. He just needs a little bit more time.
Potential return date: 03/09/22
Stuart Dallas - leg
Having picked up a major injury against Manchester City towards the end of last season, Dallas isn't expected to return to action until 2023. Great news, though, as the Northern Irish man has been back running this week.
Marsch said (Aug 11): “Then Stuart Dallas, I saw on the pitch today, moving around a little bit. So that was an exciting moment for us.”
Potential return date: 2023
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