Every word Daniel Farke said on fresh injury 'question mark', rotation chances & Chelsea Carabao Cup challenge
Leeds United travel to Chelsea for their Carabao Cup third round tie tomorrow night.
Leeds United are in Carabao Cup action this midweek and ahead of their trip to Chelsea, manager Daniel Farke will speak with the media today.
The Whites head to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for their third round tie, having beaten Nottingham Forest at the City Ground last month. That 2-0 victory was the second of four games so far this season in which Farke’s side are yet to taste defeat.
Leeds most recently travelled to Brighton on Saturday, drawing 1-1 at the Amex to pick up another good early point. Jayden Bogle was on target for the Whites but his early effort was cancelled out by a back-post Luka Vuskovic header.
With a quick turnaround heading into Wednesday’s cup clash, expect Farke to provide a fitness update on several players who are either out injured or have only just returned. In the latter category is Gabriel Gudmundsson, who played 90 minutes at Brighton on Saturday.
The Swede has only just returned from a pre-season muscle injury so expect an update on how he’s feeling, while there is also hope Ilia Gruev could return for his first appearance since April. Joe Rodon will not feature, the defender facing up to 10 weeks out with a hamstring injury.
Should Farke decide to rest Gudmundsson, a debut chance could be handed to deadline day arrival Melvin Bard while the quick turnaround could also see Noah Okafor rested, with Jean-Matteo-Bahoya also eyeing a first appearance. Expect Farke to be quizzed on the prospect of both playing.
Farke will also no doubt be asked about the prospect of rotation elsewhere, and managing it with the desire to extend their unbeaten start to the campaign and progress in the cup. We are predicting a few changes to the team but nothing wholesale, much like Forest in the previous round.
Wednesday will be the first time Leeds have played a Carabao Cup third round clash under Farke, with three previous attempts at the competition all ending earlier. The Whites boss could be quizzed on his ambitions for the tournament and thoughts on how progression in the cup can contribute to a better season overall.
And Farke will also get the chance to speak about midweek hosts Chelsea, who are a work-in-progress under new manager Xabi Alonso. The Leeds boss faced his counterpart twice in Germany, his Borussia Monchengladbach losing 3-2 and drawing 2-2 against Bayer Leverkusen during the 2022/23 campaign.
Daniel Farke is due to speak with the media at 11.45am. Stay tuned for live updates...