Bielsa confirms two Leeds players out v Aston Villa as big warning sounded over Phillips
Leeds United fans have been sweating fitness news on Kalvin Phillips for the game against Aston Villa on Saturday.
The bad news from Marcelo Bielsa today is that he is out of the game, along with Rodrigo.
The slightly better news is that Mateusz Klich is progressing well and could slot straight back into the starting line-up on Saturday.
Bielsa delivered a big warning over Phillips as well, saying his injury could get worse if he’s rushed back.
Bielsa was talking in his pre-match press conference on Thursday lunchtime and his words were relayed by Phil Hay.
Advantage Leeds
Mixed injury news for Leeds although it leaves things much as they were from the last game.
It’s never straightforward for Bielsa although having Klich back could make his team selection that much easier.
Irrespective, we’re confident about picking up another three points at Elland Road on Saturday now, especially if Grealish is out.
The warning about Phillips is a lot more worrying and it sounds like he could be out for some time yet. That makes the decision to keep him playing when he first went down that much worse.
One thing that could play into our hands on Saturday is the pitch.
The Leeds players adapted to the slippery surface in the second half of the game against Southampton much better than the visitors, and we think that could prove to be a real advantage for us in our remaining home games.
A win would see Leeds not only cement their top-half status with just 12 games of the season remaining but likely guarantee their top-flight status too.
To do that with just less than a third of the season left is some achievement.
In other Leeds United news, ‘It’s cheating’ – Souness delivers verdict on 2 major controversies in Leeds v Soton