The 2 players at risk of missing Leeds United vs West Brom due to Championship rule
Leeds United host West Brom at Elland Road next weekend.
Leeds United and West Brom could each be without a key player next weekend as the threshold for a two-game suspension edges closer.
Elland Road will host the two Championship promotion hopefuls a week on Saturday, with Leeds hopeful they can welcome the Baggies to West Yorkshire as league leaders. They must first overcome a difficult trip to their closest rivals Sheffield United on Monday night, however.
Leeds returned to the Championship’s summit following Monday’s dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Sunderland, with a two-point gap on Sheffield United meaning even a draw at Bramall Lane will keep them top. Daniel Farke’s squad will be desperate to do the double over their Yorkshire rivals but one man might be more keen than most, with Jayden Bogle switching between clubs over the summer.
Bogle ban risk
The right-back will have to be careful though, having picked up his ninth yellow card of the campaign during Monday’s fierce clash against Sunderland. A rash first-half challenge earned Bogle his caution, with Jobe Bellingham on the receiving end as a frustrated Leeds tried to claw back control following Wilson Isidor’s opener.
Bogle is now at serious risk of a second ban this season, having picked up five yellow cards in time for a one-game ban back in November. Should the 24-year-old see yellow before the end of Leeds’ 37th game of the campaign - at home to Millwall - then he will be forced to sit out two games.
A booking at former club Sheffield United will see Bogle miss another top-of-the-table clash with West Brom plus the following weekend’s trip to in-form Portsmouth. But he is not the only key player at risk of missing out next weekend, with Baggies midfielder Jayson Molumby also one yellow card away from suspension.
Molumby also a risk
Molumby somehow managed to escape a one-game ban earlier this season despite picking up three yellow cards in his first four appearances, but two bookings in his last three would suggest a two-match suspension is close. The 25-year-old is not one to pull out of a challenge and does not hesitate to get involved in any commotion.
West Brom are at home to Oxford United on Saturday and should Molumby receive a yellow card, he will sit out his side’s trip to Elland Road and the visit of QPR to the Hawthorns. The Irish international would be a huge miss for manager Tony Mowbray, having been a regular starter all season.
The Baggies also lost Molumby’s main back-up in defensive midfield last month, with Serbian international Uros Racic’s season-long loan cut short. Ousmane Diakite would likely fill in for Mowbray’s side if necessary.
Leeds will likely look to the experienced Sam Byram if Bogle does pick up a two-game ban, with the 31-year-old already covering for his right-back as well as left-back Junior Firpo this season. Isaac Schmidt might also be an option, albeit he is yet to start a Championship game this season.