Another Leeds star out vs Chelsea with Anton Stach as problems pile up at Elland Road
Leeds United have been struggling with injury issues in defence over the last few months, and there is no respite for Daniel Farke.
Joe Rodon missed two games at the start of January, and Jaka Bijol hasn’t made an appearance since the FA Cup Third Round win over Derby County.
The Whites have coped relatively well despite the changes to the backline, and remain six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Leeds beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Friday evening, but Farke has now confirmed that they picked up a new defensive injury during the game, which will affect their upcoming clash with Chelsea.
Pascal Struijk will miss Chelsea game
Leeds will be looking to continue their Premier League survival push against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but they will be up against it from the off.
Liam Rosenior has won all four of his top-flight games since taking charge of the Blues, and they will be big favourites on Tuesday evening.
To make matters worse, the Whites will be without centre-back Pascal Struijk for the trip to West London as he has picked up a hip flexor injury.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Farke confirmed that the 26-year-old centre-back is unavailable for the Chelsea game.
He said: “Bad news with Pascal Struijk, he will definitely miss this game, he’s had some problems after the game with his hip flexor, and the turnaround is too quick so he will miss this game.”
Daniel Farke confirms Anton Stach return date
Anton Stach will also miss the game against Chelsea, as he continues to recover from a hip injury of his own.
Stach picked up the issue during the 4-0 defeat to Arsenal at the end of January, and Farke confirmed in his press conference that he won’t make it back for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
The Leeds boss did have an update on the midfielder’s return date though, confirming that he is likely to be back for the game away at Aston Villa on 21 February.
Sandwiched between the Chelsea and Villa matches, the Whites have an FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Birmingham City, but it is unconfirmed whether Stach will feature in that.
Elsewhere, Farke revealed that both Lukas Nmecha and Bijol are fully fit and available, after the pair were unused substitutes against Forest.