Four Leeds United and Middlesbrough players could miss Elland Road clash due to Championship rule
Leeds United welcome Middlesbrough to Elland Road next week.
Leeds United are back at Elland Road for two games in four days over the next week - but two key players could miss out on the latter clash against Middlesbrough.
Daniel Farke’s side suffered just their third defeat of the season at Blackburn Rovers last weekend, with Todd Cantwell’s first-half penalty ensuring all three points remained at Ewood Park. Victories for both Sheffield United and Burnley saw the Whites drop out of the automatic promotion places, but they could just as easily climb back in there on Saturday.
Leeds have been imperious at Elland Road this season, losing just once against Burnley - a game many would argue they dominated - and winning all of their last six without conceding a single goal. The Whites bounced back from both previous defeats with 2-0 wins and will be expected to produce a similar kind of performance against Derby County.
But it is the midweek tie which should present the bigger challenge, with in-form Middlesbrough hoping to continue their promotion push, having swept Leeds aside with a comfortable 3-0 Carabao Cup win back in August. And depending on what happens this weekend, Farke could be without both Willy Gnonto and Joe Rodon for that top-of-the-table meeting.
EFL suspension rules state that any player who accumulates five yellow cards up to and including game-week 19 must serve a one-game ban. 10 yellows before match-week 32 will result in a two-match ban while 15 bookings before a team’s 38th match will mean a three-match suspension.
Saturday’s visit of Derby County is Leeds’ 19th league game and so represents the first cut-off point, with Gnonto and Rodon set to walk the suspension tightrope for 90 more minutes. Both have been on four bookings for some time and have just one more game to manage.
Remarkably, Rodon has avoided that fifth yellow card through his last nine league appearances, having been booked four times in the opening nine. Gnonto, meanwhile, has been one caution away from a ban since the end of October but crucially avoided that decisive yellow card in his last six showings.
To lose either ahead of a massive midweek clash would be a major blow for Leeds, with Rodon and Gnonto among the most consistent performers this season. But there is also adequate cover for both, should they fall at the final hurdle on Saturday
Rodon’s absence would have been close to crisis a few weeks back, but the ever-improving fitness of free agent Josuha Guilavogui has eased those concerns, with the 34-year-old as comfortable in defence as he is in midfield. Likewise, Gnonto was one of just two fit wingers not long ago but all of Manor Solomon, Largie Ramazani and Dan James are now fit and firing.
Before travelling to Elland Road, Middlesbrough face Burnley at Turf Moor and will also be nervously waiting on two of their own players. Defender George Edmundson has avoided a fifth yellow during the last two games but remains at risk of missing Leeds. Another walking the tightrope is on-loan Liverpool winger Ben Doak, who has been Boro’s creative outlet with five assists in his last five appearances.