Norwich City receive big Daniel Farke boost v Leeds United but it comes with a warning | OneFootball

Daniel Farke has received the first red card of his career and will be banned for the FA Cup fifth round tie against his former club

Daniel Farke will not be on the touchline this Sunday for Leeds United's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Norwich City.

The former Canaries boss, who won two Championship titles at Carrow Road, was sent off for the first time in his 16-year managerial career last weekend in Leeds' 1-0 defeat against Manchester City after he entered the field of play following the full-time whistle.

Farke was present for the Premier League outfit's 1-0 loss against Sunderland in midweek, but only because the turnaround point for the sanction was too tight. Indeed, the Leeds boss was charged on Wednesday and accepted the one-match suspension on Friday morning.

This means that he won't be present in the dugout for the return of his former side to Elland Road, a Norwich outfit that has lost each of their last four trips to the West Yorkshire side.

Usually, this would give the Canaries an advantage, especially given that Leeds are likely to rotate after their points barrier between themselves and the relegation zone in the Premier League was halved over the recent round of midweek fixtures, too.

But if the past is to be followed, the absence of Farke could ignite a spark similar to the one that occurred when he was banned last season, in the midst of their promotion battle.

Leeds United won a huge promotion six-pointer without Daniel Farke vs Sheffield United last season

Last February, Daniel Farke was forced to watch from the stands as his side travelled to Bramall Lane to take on title rivals Sheffield United.

The German boss was suspended after picking up his third yellow card of the campaign in the aftermath of Pascal Struijk's dramatic late winner in the come-from-behind victory over fellow promotion-hopefuls Sunderland the week before, where he, again, encroached onto the field of play.

It was a massive game with implications in the title race, as both sides occupied the top two spots in the Championship. A win for Sheffield United would have seen Chris Wilder's side leapfrog the Whites to top spot, while a win for Leeds would have seen them go five points clear of their South Yorkshire rivals.

Like the week before, Leeds ended up coming from a goal down to win late on, as Junior Firpo's header 18 minutes from time sparked a comeback that would see Leeds net twice more through Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe to take all three points.

Leeds would lose just once more for the remainder of the campaign, emphasising how important this win was for their confidence in the promotion race, and it was all done without their manager in the dugout.

Leeds United will still be keen to progress in the FA Cup, even if relegation fears increased midweek

Leeds indirectly reaffirmed their FA Cup hopes in late February, when chairman Paraag Marathe stepped down from his role as Rangers vice-chairman, days before UEFA's deadline for clubs to ensure that they are compliant with the multi-club ownership rules.

Leeds can still qualify for the Europa League if they win the FA Cup, and Marathe's removal from his position at fellow 49ers-owned Rangers almost confirms that they see this competition as one that they could possibly win against the odds.

Therefore, even with their Premier League status taking a slight hit in midweek, after their loss at home against Sunderland, paired with a West Ham win at Fulham, saw the gap shrink to three points, this game against Norwich isn't something they're taking lightly.

There may be some squad rotation, with the likes of Tanaka, Willy Gnonto, Dan James and other players who haven't been in Farke's plans recently being afforded rare starts, but they showed last season that they're elite Championship operators, and the mixture of them plus top-flight regulars at Elland Road will make this a difficult task for Norwich this Sunday.

Philippe Clement may have a slight advantage, as he's the only manager in the dugout, but Leeds have shown that it hasn't affected them in big games, and it likely won't again this weekend.