Leeds United's possible play-off opponents suffer major injury blow in key position but immediate boost to Burnley
Leeds United's Championship rivals Coventry City will be without first-choice goalkeeper Oliver Dovin for the remainder of the season.
Swedish goalkeeper Dovin has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury and requires surgery on the affected knee, ruling him out for the rest of the campaign.
Dovin has made 28 Championship appearances this season, becoming first-choice under new head coach Frank Lampard.
Since the ex-Chelsea man's November arrival, Coventry have risen from 17th in the Championship table to fifth place. Dovin had started the last 17 league matches in-a-row for Lampard's men, keeping seven clean sheets as the Sky Blues surged up the table and now find themselves in play-off contention.
Should Leeds drop into the play-off spots over the course of the next seven games, there is every chance they could face Coventry before the season's end, either in a two-legged semi-final or at Wembley in the play-off final.
Leeds have completed the double over Coventry this season, beating the Sky Blues 3-0 at Elland Road during the final months of previous boss Mark Robins' tenure, before a 2-0 victory at the CBS Arena in February.
Coventry's next game is versus Leeds' promotion rivals Burnley, currently joint on 81 points with Daniel Farke's side. Dovin's absence will serve as a boost to Scott Parker's Clarets as the Swede is among the seven best Championship goalkeepers, in terms of shot-stopping, this season.
Farke was quizzed on his approach to another potential play-off run during his pre-match press conference this week, after Leeds relinquished their grip on top spot to Sheffield United last weekend. The German said he preferred not to think about the prospect and is taking Leeds' final seven fixtures game-by-game.