Farke confirms Leeds United absence of star in ‘red hot form’ as boss readjusts survival prediction | OneFootball

Leeds manager Daniel Farke has confirmed Pascal Struijk will miss Tuesday’s trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with the defender one of two absences for the match and with the Whites boss re-evaluating the points tally his side may now need to avoid relegation.

The Whites go into Tuesday’s clash with Liam Rosenior’s side in good form, boosted by Friday night’s emphatic 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest at Elland Road. That win, which maintained the club’s fine recent form of just two defeats in 12 games, temporarily put Leeds nine points clear of the relegation zone.

But, like a dog with a bone, West Ham are refusing to lie down and their 2-0 win at Burnley the next day shut the gap to six to ensure there remains little margin for error.

Next up for Leeds is a game against Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea, who have won five of their last six games in all competitions and are very much back in the mix for a top-four finish this season.

However, the Whites go into the game without the services of Struijk, while Anton Stach – who also missed out against Forest with a hip injury – remains on the sidelines.

Farke told a press conference on Monday lunchtime: “You miss a player in red-hot form. Pascal was a rock in last week’s win. He’s our only natural, left-footed centre-back, which makes a real difference in a back three.

“He gives us different passing angles than a right-footed option can provide. He also won so many headers, so his absence is not ideal. I would not normally need to rotate on this turnaround.”

Farke, though, has revealed he expects both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Friday’s man of the match, Illia Gruev, to be fit for the trip, adding:

“At the moment, both seem to be available. Dominic was struggling a little bit with illness, but Pascal will definitely miss this game after some problems with his hip flexor.

“Anton Stach will be back for the Villa game; they will both miss this game.”

It will likely mean a recall for Jaka Bijol, with the Slovenian restored to the back three alongside Joe Rodon and James Justin, with the latter moving across the defence to cover for Struijk’s absence.

With Chelsea proving a stern test and in light of West Ham’s improved form, Farke now thinks it may take a higher than initially expected total to avoid the drop…

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Farke explains new survival metric for Leeds

At the start of the season, Farke set Leeds the target of 10 wins across their 38-game season to book another season in the Premier League, with 35 points across the previous 15 years all being enough to avoid the drop.

Yet with 29 already on board, Leeds cannot yet afford to relax and, with 13 games remaining, are still looking nervously over their shoulders.

He commented: “It doesn’t matter if I change anything in my assessment, how many points we need, we want to achieve as many points anyway.

“If it’s one out of 20 seasons where you need more points, we have to win more points. I am not too concentrated on doing too much math; I am more concentrated on doing more good performances and winning more points.”

On the prospect of facing Chelsea again, who Leeds beat 3-1 earlier this season, Farke added: “Each win is a pivotal game for a promoted side. We had wins before at home and on the road.

“One thing is for sure, it was a top performance from our side, fully deserved. We won each and every statistic. Days when you are able to dominate one of the big names in this league don’t come around too often.

“This result won’t help us tomorrow. We have to be even more on it. A different situation, different manager, slight adaptations to style…”

On how Chelsea under Rosenior compare to his predecessor, Enzo Maresca, Farke continued: “I don’t want to compare too much because I am loyal to my colleagues when they lose a job. Under Liam, they had really good results recently. It didn’t matter if it was Premier League level or Champions League level. We are respectful in every away game.

“We don’t have to speak about the individual quality of the players they have. They are a very promising group of players with bags of potential.

“We travel with respect, but aware we have the tools to bring our strengths onto the pitch.”

Leeds round-up: Farke chasing new goalkeeper; Red Bull to help land playmaker

Meanwhile, Leeds United are prioritising a new goalkeeper as a major target for the summer transfer window, with sources indicating the club views the position as critical for long-term stability in the Premier League and with £13.9m signing Lucas Perri facing a battle to salvage his Elland Road career, TEAMtalk understands.

Elsewhere, Leeds are hoping to use their Red Bull connection to secure the brilliant summer signing of an elite playmaker – though any deal will need to bypass UK laws and is wrapped in complications.

The player in question, though, would elevate the Whites to another level should they pull what has been described as the dream transfer off.