Leeds United take on Norwich City at Elland Road on Thursday night in the second-leg of their semi-final play-off clash but The Whites will be without one “invaluable” player.
The Whites will be full of confidence going into tonight’s second leg having avoided defeat at Carrow Road and winning themselves a clean sheet, having done so only once in the previous eight matches.
With home advantage, the knowledge of beating Norwich both home and away in the regular season and boasting the Championship’s second-best home record throughout 2023-24, Leeds will be big favourites.
But this is the play-offs and as history shows, anything can happen with so much pressure placed on the games. Nothing would be better for Leeds than scoring an early goal and getting the Leeds fans onside.
However, they will have to do it without one crucial player as Leeds Live report the squad that will take on Norwich on Thursday night at Elland Road. Dan James and Connor Roberts are included in the side.
Patrick Bamford missing from Leeds squad to face Norwich
Leeds Live have listed the Leeds squad that Daniel Farke will choose from ahead of Thursday night and one notable omission is that of Patrick Bamford, with a knee injury expected to see him miss the clash.
The one-time England man picked up the knock in the 4-3 win over Middlesbrough and it has seen the former Norwich striker miss the last three games against QPR, Southampton and then the first leg.
Instead, Farke will have Georginio Rutter, Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph and Joe Gelhardt to choose from as options up top. Of course, Pascal Struijk and Stuart Dallas will also be sidelined due to their injuries.
Bamford absence will be a big blow for Leeds against Norwich
The striker’s unavailability is a big blow to Farke and Leeds given his absence has shown just how important he is to this Leeds side, his ability to hold the ball up and dictate two defenders, creating space.
When Bamford plays, it allows the likes of Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville a bit more room to work their magic. Jon Newsome recently described Bamford as “invaluable” despite the striker’s critics.
It will be interesting to see how Farke starts up top, whether that be with Piroe, Joseph or he sticks with Rutter. If he does the latter, it will also be up for debate over whether Archie Gray stays in the 10 role.
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