Credit: Imago

Mark Smith

Sun 26 April 2026 11:53, UK

Leeds United were sweating over the fitness of Anton Stach ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

Stach has been out with an ankle injury picked up in the quarter-final victory over West Ham at the start of April.

Daniel Farke confirmed in midweek that the German international hadn’t returned to training yet, but still had a chance to make it at the last moment.

The same happened with Joe Rodon against Wolves last week, who returned weeks ahead of schedule with a similar ankle problem, too.

Now, it looks like Stach may have bounced back for the trip to Wembley.

Anton Stach looks ready for Wembley

Stach is famous for his online presence on social media, which isn’t a secret.

Before games, he usually posts pre-match graphics with a meme surrounding the opposing team, but they have been missing for some weeks now.

That is, until today.

Eagled-eyed Leeds fans will notice that Stach has posted his usual pre-match graphic on Instagram ahead of the Chelsea showdown in the capital.

An F1 theme has been chosen with two cars either side of Stach and the FA Cup, maybe suggesting that he has won the race to prove his availability to Farke.

Huge boost for Leeds United

This would be massive for Leeds and Farke.

The Whites have stepped up in recent weeks, with Ao Tanaka putting in huge performances and Sean Longstaff scoring that late equaliser at Bournemouth to fill that midfield hole.

But, there is no denying that Leeds are simply better with Stach, who has been one of their better players throughout the entire season.

Earning a recall to the Germany set-up in the process, Stach will be desperate to get back today and for the final four Premier League games ahead of the World Cup.

The early diagnosis didn’t look good for the midfielder when he shared that image of his swollen ankle from the London Stadium, so getting him back now would be crucial.

Even if he doesn’t play at Wembley, ahead of crucial games against Burnley and Brighton, his return will be huge in LS11.