Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Richie Mills

Fri 3 April 2026 14:10, UK

Anton Stach was back in first-team training after a hip complaint but some of his Leeds United teammates were absent ahead of facing West Ham.

Leeds are gearing up for their FA Cup quarter-final tie against the Hammers at London Stadium on Sunday, with a trip to Wembley and the semi-finals on the line.

After the international break, Daniel Farke confirmed that some players had some injury issues, including German international Stach and England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin (hamstring).

The Leeds boss said on Thursday: “Yes, a few minor issues and little knocks or whatever. The normal stuff, so like always after an international break, we will take some late decisions who is ready for the game and who will travel with us.”

Now, Leeds have released footage of their latest first-team training session at Thorp Arch, providing a clue as to what lies ahead for Sunday.

Leeds absentees revealed

On Thursday, Farke revealed that Leeds’ international players were back at the club after representing their respective countries.

He added: “Since today, everyone is back. Obviously, for a handful of players, still just a recovery session, for example, for the Welsh players, for Jaka Bijol, Gabi Gudmundsson and so on.

“The first time that we will have them all back together in team training will be [Friday] and then we have two more days to prepare obviously for the West Ham game.”

Firstly, going by the club’s FA Cup quarter-final “Inside Training” footage, Welsh internationals Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Dan James and Karl Darlow were absent, as were Slovenia’s Jaka Bijol and Sweden’s Gabriel Gudmundsson.

Secondly, they may make the West Ham match and the same could be said for Stach, who was spotted sprinting and otherwise moving freely in the video. That will be a boost for Leeds as he has been one of their best players this season.

Thirdly, as Farke alluded to, there was no sign of Calvert-Lewin. The 10-goal striker will be in a race against time to be fit but Leeds may choose to rest him until the Manchester United game on 13 April in the Premier League.

Fourth and finally, Under-21 players such as Sam Chambers, Alfie Cresswell and Louie Dudley were being put through their paces on Thursday with the first-team squad.

Daniel Farke taking the FA Cup seriously

For Leeds figureheads, the club’s number one priority will be to stay in the Premier League this season, as relegation would lead to disastrous financial consequences.

However, Farke is certainly taking this game seriously, with MOT Leeds News predicting the German to name a strong line-up for fellow relegation rivals West Ham.

Ahead of the clash, he said: “I am a big believer in the cup competitions and it is the first time in over two decades that we are in the quarter final of the FA Cup. We know that we all have the chance to write a bit more history for this club.

“They need to stay in the rhythm, they need to stay sharp, the players want to go with a strong starting lineup without doing anything stupid. If we get the feeling someone is a risk, due to some physical problems or whatever, we will not risk it.

“If there is a chance also to go into the semi-final, of course we would love to do this and we take this game very seriously.

“We are honoured and want to prepare in the best possible way. It is always a bit tricky in the first game after the break but it will be the same for West Ham. I want us to go strong and if we have a chance to go and progress through into the next round, we will do that.”

Paul Merson thinks a Leeds win could hurt their survival chances but the Yorkshire outfit will certainly want to return to winning ways on Sunday.