(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Tue 21 April 2026 12:55, UK

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has confirmed that Anton Stach will not travel with the Whites for the midweek game against Bournemouth this Wednesday.

However, the German head coach has suggested that the midfielder could be back before the end of the week, and hasn’t ruled anything out.

Leeds are pushing for Premier League survival, but also have FA Cup glory in their sights at the same time, with a trip to Wembley to face Chelsea on Sunday.

The Whites could do with their German star, who went down injured in the last FA Cup game against West Ham.

Stach had ligament damage, but Farke has suggested that it’s not as serious as first expected, with a return possibly days away.

Daniel Farke gives hope for Anton Stach’s inclusion vs Chelsea

Jermaine Beckford was furious over Stach’s injury, suggesting that Max Kilman went in way too hard on the Leeds midfielder, and was fortunate to get away without a sending off.

Speaking ahead of the Bournemouth game, Farke confirmed that Stach won’t travel, but said he is closing in on a return ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup showdown against Chelsea.

Farke said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post: “Anton is not back in team training and won’t travel with us.”

“Difficult to say, we have to decide it day to day. It’s more or less crunch time period, for the cup and also the league. I push that he comes back as soon as possible.

“Every day we get him back earlier is good. It’s more or less a question of days, not weeks anymore. I hope I have him back as soon as possible.”

Ankle injuries always look worse than they are, with it being a part of the body that swells up a lot worse than other areas.

However, it was a nasty knock that he took regardless, and if having him for the Premier League run-in means he’ll need to miss Chelsea, then that could be the sensible choice to make.

Who will start in midfield vs Bournemouth?

With Stach yet to return to training, it’s unlikely that he will be starting against Chelsea, but there’s every chance that he will be named on the bench.

Brendan Aaronson and Noah Okafor were the two who played behind the striker in the 3-0 win against Wolves last time out, which worked a treat.

In midfield, Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu played again as Farke may have to make a change with one of these four players so that a strong team is fully fit for Chelsea.

There’s a good chance that Sean Longstaff could come in for Tanaka, who may be rested for the Chelsea game, but Farke is fully aware that one more win could do the trick in the Premier League for Leeds.

Equally, Tanaka could be pushed further up the field to replace Okafor, as the latter is now emerging as the Whites’ key to victory over Chelsea, and needs to be 100 per cent ready for the game.