Leeds United will resume their bid for Premier League survival with Saturday’s huge clash at third-placed Aston Villa - for which blows have left four men and six more doubtful.
Leeds and Villa were both in action in the FA Cup fourth round at the weekend, Villa going first with Saturday’s hosting of Newcastle United which ultimately ended in a 3-1 defeat.
Unai Emery’s side already had key men missing for the visit of the Magpies and Villa were then dealt further blows in the tie itself which may now have consequences as far as Saturday’s visit of Leeds is concerned.
Leeds, though, already without key men themselves, also suffered a fresh injury blow in Sunday’s clash at Birmingham City which went all the way to penalties after a 1-1 draw, a 4-2 win on spot kicks eventually putting Daniel Farke’s Whites in the fifth round draw.
All told, it’s now left four men out of Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at Villa Park and six others doubtful although three others are now back.
Here, we run through the early injury and team news from both camps.
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1. BACK: Emi Buendia
Villa's Argentinian attacking midfielder Buendia took a knock during last weekend's FA Cup defeat to Newcastle United but managed to complete the match having come on as a second-half substitute. The 29-year-old was not mention as one of the players out or injured by Emery at his pre-match press conference so it appears all systems to face the Whites. | Getty Images
2. BACK: Andres Garcia
Villa's Spanish right back Garcia had missed his side's last four games with a hamstring injury and it was thought the 23-year-old would also miss Saturday's FA Cup clash against Newcastle but Garcia returned to make the bench where he was an unused substitute. Another now back in the mix. | AFP via Getty Images
3. BACK: Matty Cash
Villa's first choice right back Cash has missed his side's last two games with a knee injury but Emery revealed at Friday's pre-match press conference that the defender was now back in a particularly huge boost for his side. | Getty Images
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4. BACK: Anton Stach
And here begins a triple Leeds boost, Stach having been out since suffering a hip injury ahead of Leeds' Friday win over Nottingham Forest and missing the three games that followed. But in a flurry of positive injury news, Farke confirmed the midfielder was back at Thursday's pre-match presser. | Getty Images
5. BACK: Pascal Struijk
Another key Leeds man who has been out with a hip injury, Struijk suffered his problem on the back of the 3-1 win against Forest. Like Stach, the Dutch defender has also returned to team training. | Getty Images
6. BACK: Dan James
Back pain kept James out of Sunday's cup tie at Birmingham as a precaution, the winger having only just returned from a three-month hamstring tendon injury. But he's back too and Farke hopes that is for good. | Getty Images