Leeds United head to the Midlands for a second consecutive weekend on Saturday as they face Aston Villa in the Premier League. Daniel Farke’s side booked themselves a place in the FA Cup fifth round following a penalty-shootout win at Birmingham City and will now turn focus back on to survival.
The Whites are currently three places and six points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham, with the opportunity on Saturday to pull further clear before the Hammers host Bournemouth. Any positive result will have to be earned without Noah Okafor, however, with Farke confirming on Thursday his winger was out with a hamstring injury.
There was positive news on the Leeds injury front too, though, while Aston Villa have a few fitness issues of their own to manage. Below, the YEP rounds up all the latest from both sides ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting at Villa Park.
.jpg?crop=4:3&trim=&width=800)
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
.jpg?crop=4:3&trim=&width=800)
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