Leeds United early team news v Middlesbrough as another defensive blow emerges

Daniel Farke has confirmed that Leeds United will be without defender Connor Roberts and utility man Jamie Shackleton for the clash with Middlesbrough on Monday (22 April).

Roberts recently recovered from an injury picked up on international duty with Wales, but he has suffered a reaction to the injury following his return and Farke says he will "definitely" miss the upcoming games with Boro and Queens Park Rangers on Friday (26 April).

Shackleton is still not back in training with the team either due to an adductor injury, while centre-back Pascal Struijk is also still unavailable as expected.

The Athletic's Phil Hay relayed what Farke said in his press conference on 19 April via his personal X account.

Leeds United must get back to winning ways v Middlesbrough

The Whites have managed to claim just one win in four games recently and it has left their hopes of automatic promotion hanging by a thread.

Ipswich and Leicester however haven't taken full advantage of their slip-ups yet, and it means with just three games to go there is huge pressure on all three teams to win every game.

Leeds have got an incredibly difficult run of fixtures now and with their unbeaten home record put in the bin last time out against Blackburn, the fans are growing anxious about recent performances.

A trip to the Riverside Stadium is never easy, regardless of the current form or the scenario. But that now makes it even harder and Farke will have to find solutions to get back to winning ways.

Anything but a win could essentially end the club's chances of an automatic return to the Premier League, and they'd then need to start preparing for the playoffs. It really is a must-win game.

In other Leeds news, club expecting to pay eight-figure fee to sign Elland Road loanee this summer.

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