Leeds United face the second leg of their Championship play-off semi-final second leg with Norwich City tonight.
Both sides know it is now make or break in their respective seasons as defeat would consign them to another season of football in England’s second tier.
Though Leeds do have home advantage behind them, the tie is finely poised at 0-0 from the first leg. It was an extremely cagey affair at Carrow Road in which the two sets of players were clearly happy to settle for a draw.
Gary Lineker is among the pundits tipping Leeds to go through, while EFL pundit Adrian Clarke also has Daniel Farke’s side as slight favourites.
Having said that, irrespective of how tonight’s match goes, for six members of Leeds’ squad it could be the final time they ever play in a white shirt at Elland Road. Here is a look at who that could be.
Liam Cooper
Where else to start but with the club captain? It is sure to be an emotional night for Liam Cooper whatever happens with his 10 years of service at Leeds set to come to an end this summer.
Cooper is out of contract next month and is not expecting to be offered a new one, making this evening the final time he will ever step out for his boyhood club at home.
As he has done for much of the season, Cooper is likely to be on the bench but if Leeds are having to narrowly see out a win it would not be a surprise if he came off the bench late on. His exit will signal the end of an era.
Joe Rodon
Joe Rodon is probably the main player from this list Leeds supporters will be hoping tonight does not represent his final appearance as a home player at Elland Road.
Rodon is on a season-long-loan from Tottenham and has been outstanding since almost all season long, with growing calls for him to be signed permanently.
Leeds are, of course, keen to make that happen but failing to win promotion would make that considerably harder, as there could be Premier League interest. Let’s hope this isn’t the case.
Sam Byram
Sam Byram is the second of three players likely to be in the Leeds squad tonight who is out of contract next month.
So far, there has been no indication of whether he will be offered a new deal. Staying in the Championship could actually make it more likely Byram is, but it is hard to look past his injury issues.
With that said, Byram has been excellent value since his free transfer last summer and it will be interesting to see what Leeds decide to do with him.
Connor Roberts
Having joined on loan from Burnley on deadline day in January, Connor Roberts has dropped some hints that Leeds is the place he wants to be long-term.
However, with no option-to-buy in the deal, and Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League confirmed on Saturday, it would not be a surprise if he went back to Turf Moor.
With just two league starts since his arrival under his belt, at this stage, it feels unlikely Roberts will sign for Leeds permanently. Tonight could be the final time to show Elland Road what he can do.
Jaidon Anthony
Jaidon Anthony is the third and final loanee in Leeds’ squad and Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has already seemingly confirmed he will return to his parent club.
With just two league starts under his belt, it has not been the season Anthony would’ve hoped for at Leeds. There will certainly be no ill feeling from either side, though.
Particularly if Leeds are chasing a goal, Anthony is likely to get on the pitch tonight and so hopefully he can sign off his time at the club with a parting gift.
Jamie Shackleton
Alongside Cooper and Byram, Jamie Shackleton is the third and final player potentially set to be in the squad who is out of contract this summer.
Shackleton has struggled with injuries this season and has played just four minutes of league football since the end of October.
With that in mind,it feels highly unlikely he will be offered a new deal, even if Leeds do stay down. At 24, he is at the age now where he needs regular minutes.
Shackleton and Joe Gelhardt are the two players who will be competing for that final spot on Leeds’ bench tonight. If Farke goes more attacking, the former may not even be in the squad.
Either way, he will be there and have the opportunity to say goodbye.