Daniel Farke could be tempted to make changes to his Leeds United starting XI for tonight’s match with Sunderland.
Leeds were beaten for the first time in 2024 by Coventry City on Saturday, though in truth, performances since the international break have certainly been below where they were previously.
In terms of team news, Farke labelled Ethan Ampadu as a doubt heading into the game having been suffering with illness, which could be the first league game he misses since joining Leeds.
Neither Connor Roberts or Willy Gnonto are ready to start either, despite the fact both made their returns from injury on Saturday far earlier than was anticipated.
BBC pundit Jon Newsome tipped Farke to make a number of changes this evening after the weekend, though based on his presser, it has to be said it does not look overly likely.
Farke simply must start 30-year-old for Leeds tonight
One change which could arrive is dropping Glen Kamara to the bench, with Farke openly admitting he was brought off at half-time on Saturday as he looked tired.
Archie Gray would seem like the obvious replacement for him in midfield but that would then leave Farke with a decision to make at right-back, particularly with Roberts not ready to start.
Whoever does start on the right side of defence this evening is going to be in for a tough night, with former Leeds winger Jack Clarke now back fully fit after making his first start since February on Saturday.
Clarke gave Gray a really tough time back at the Stadium of Light in December, and the man Farke should bring into deal with him is Sam Byram.
Against Hull City, Byram locked up one of the other most dangerous wingers in the league in Jaden Philogene, despite the fact he could not even sprint in the second half.
Philogene and Clarke are two of the best dribblers in the league but if Byram is able to deal with the former while not fully fit, he is certainly the man for the job tonight.
The 30-year-old did not even get off the bench on Saturday and so should be fully fit after an eight-day rest from the Tigers, making him the logical choice for that position.
What Daniel Farke said about Ethan Ampadu fitness ahead of Leeds vs Sunderland
Farke will be keen to avoid making too many changes to his back four tonight, particularly after what happened when he did so at Watford recently.
Bringing Byram in certainly seems like a logical decision to make, but if Ampadu is not fit, that would then mean Farke has to change half of his defence from Saturday.
Given it is only illness, hopefully Ampadu will have recovered in time, but here is exactly what Farke had to say on his fitness yesterday.
He said: “No additions. Question behind Ethan. Illness in the last 48 hours. Not available to us yesterday or today. Tight race. Short session tomorrow which he has to make to play.”