Leeds United host Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town in the Championship on Saturday afternoon, but they will be without a key striker for the clash.
The Whites currently occupy one of the two automatic promotion positions in the second tier heading into the weekend, but with Fulham beginning to breathe down their necks again, the Elland Road outfit will know there is no room for complacency.
Leeds have already coughed up a good looking position this term, as they strive to end their time away from the Premier League, and boss Marcelo Bielsa will be eager to ensure there is no repeat of the meltdown which cost them going up last season.
The Whites have ridden out their wobble though, and head into the clash against Huddersfield off the back of a 4-0 annihilation of Hull City last weekend.
Leeds won that match without on loan striker Jean-Kevin Augustin, and Bielsa has confirmed that he misses out against the Terriers too.
“Jean-Kevin Augustin is not ready yet, it is going to be the same group of the last match,” the Whites’ official website quotes him as saying.
Tyler Roberts was the beneficiary of Augustin’s absence last week, with him bagging a late brace to do his confidence no harm, and he is pushing for a starting place in what feels like a big game for Leeds.
Bielsa knows what to expect when his Whites side go up against the John Smith’s Stadium outfit, and eluded to it a little in his pre-match press conference.
“I think that before January the new manager (Danny Cowley) was getting to know his team, and since then they have played like the new manager wants them to.
“They are a creative team, the midfielders think offensively, the two wingers and centre forwards are good players.
“I remember the previous match was tough, it was difficult to play well.
“They created chances in this match and we couldn’t make big differences against them.
“I think they are a better team now than in the first match we played against them, so it will be tough.”
Leeds will hope to continue their excellent recent form with another victory and secure local Yorkshire bragging rights in their march towards potential promotion.
