The last international break of 2024 is finally over and Leeds United can now switch their focus towards a busy festive period in the Championship.
Junior Firpo concluded Leeds’ international involvement late on Tuesday night as he registered two assists for the Dominican Republic in a historic win over Bermuda.
Firpo is likely to be the last player to report back for Thorp Arch in the coming hours but given he is suspended for Leeds’ next two matches, it shouldn’t matter too much when he returns.
With that in mind, the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Joe Rodon and Ao Tanaka – three of several Leeds players in action on Tuesday – will all get plenty of time to get themselves ready for Swansea City.
Leeds make the trip to South Wales on Sunday afternoon, a stark contrast to the recovery time they had against Sheffield United after the last break.
Farke relief at Leeds’ international involvement
Daniel Farke was critical at the scheduling of Leeds’ clash with the Blades last month, suggesting the game could have been of a better quality had it been played just a day later.
That said, Leeds were able to beat Sheffield United under the Friday night Elland Road lights even with several key players being unable to take part in a single training session beforehand.
Brenden Aaronson was the latest to report back, having not finished his game for USA away in Mexico until 5am GMT on Wednesday, in which he played 90 minutes.
Gnonto, Tanaka, Firpo and Mateo Joseph all also played on the Tuesday, two of which (Tanaka and Firpo) were in completely different time zones.
And while Leeds overcame all those obstacles thrown at them, there should be no such problems this time around as they have an extra 43 hours to prepare.
The likes of Aaronson, Tanaka, Gnonto, Joseph and Dan James have all also had their minutes managed pretty well, which is what Farke would’ve wanted.
90 minutes in the legs of Max Wober after his injury should also be beneficial for him, given he is still awaiting his first league appearance of the season for Leeds.
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Early predicted Leeds XI vs Swansea
It appears as though Leeds’ internationals will be returning without any injuries and so the starting XI at Swansea is likely to be similar to the one that defeated QPR.
Dan James in for Manor Solomon is the only real tactical change that stands out at this stage, though Isaac Schmidt impressed in his brief cameo from the bench and will be hoping to replace Sam Byram.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Farke opts to bring Joel Piroe back into the side against his former club, in place of Mateo Joseph.
Farke will give a more in-depth update on the state of his squad in his press-conference later this week, where he will also hopefully have some good news to bring on Largie Ramazani.
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