Anton Stach message underlines Leeds United trio’s World Cup motivation | OneFootball

Anton Stach’s reminder that Leeds United’s run-in matters rings true, with World Cup places sharpening focus even if safety is close.

“For sure, I would be happy to go to the World Cup with my country,” Noah Okafor told BBC Sport.

Leeds could be safe before hosting Tottenham on Monday if West Ham lose to Arsenal on Sunday. Even so, targets remain against Tottenham, Brighton and West Ham.

About £3 million per place is at stake and, for several regulars, these matches are World Cup auditions. Few are nailed on for elite squads.

If fit, Gabriel Gudmundsson is almost guaranteed for Sweden, Ao Tanaka will travel with Japan, and Brenden Aaronson is likely to feature for the USA.

Stach has returned to Germany duty after almost four years, yet saw only 11 minutes in a friendly. He faces competition from Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and others, and Julian Nagelsmann has questioned his aerial and ball-winning strength.

The England striker race is tight. Dominic Calvert-Lewin played 35 minutes against Uruguay before a planned early return, with Danny Welbeck one ahead on 12 league goals and Ollie Watkins one behind, while Harry Kane remains the clear No. nine.

Okafor’s recent Switzerland camp brought no minutes after issues with Murat Yakin and hamstring management. He now has a calf strain and will miss Tottenham and Brighton, then hopes to finish strongly at West Ham.

All three scored in last week’s 3-1 win over Burnley.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk