Leeds United's Attacking Trio Doubts Ahead of Sunderland Trip
Leeds United’s preparations for Sunday’s trip to Sunderland have been thrown into doubt, with Daniel Farke admitting his frontline has been left “all doubtful” after a bruising clash with Manchester United.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anton Stach and Noah Okafor all picked up problems in that game and are now in a race against time to make the journey to Wearside, leaving Farke facing the prospect of ripping up his attacking plan on the eve of a key away fixture.
Calvert-Lewin battling bruising foot injury
Calvert-Lewin, who has quickly become a central pillar of Farke’s attack, is struggling with a painful foot injury after a heavy tackle late on against United.
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin got a tackle and a foul late on in the last game and he is struggling since this moment with a bruise on his foot,” Farke explained at Thorp Arch. The striker has not yet returned to full team training, though there has been some improvement in recent days.
The Leeds boss is clinging to the clock. With roughly 48 hours between his press briefing and kick-off, he knows the window is tight but not closed. Crucially, it is not a muscle issue, which slightly softens the risk.
“It is more or less just a painful injury and as long as he can handle the pain, then everything will be okay,” Farke said, underlining how much may come down to the player’s own threshold on matchday.
Stach and Okafor add to attacking concerns
Calvert-Lewin is not the only concern. Stach, another important part of Leeds’ offensive structure, is also nursing a foot problem from the same match.
“Anton Stach the same – foot problem after the last game. It is painful at the moment, also a question mark behind his availability,” Farke admitted. Like Calvert-Lewin, Stach has missed significant training time this week, leaving his sharpness and readiness in doubt even if he is passed fit.
Okafor’s situation is more delicate. The forward is dealing with adductor trouble, a classic red flag for any manager wary of turning a niggle into a longer-term absence.
“Noah Okafor is struggling with some adductor problems after the last game,” Farke said. “It is different when you have a muscle injury like Noah. You have to be perhaps even a bit more careful in terms of minutes.”
That caution is likely to weigh heavily. If Farke risks Okafor, it will almost certainly be with his workload closely managed.
At this stage, the picture is stark. “If the game would be today, all three wouldn’t be available,” Farke conceded. The trio have missed “many training sessions” this week, and their status will be dictated by how they respond in the final sessions before the squad travels north.
Late decisions and a glimmer of good news
The pressure now sits squarely on Leeds’ medical and coaching staff. Farke expects to be making calls as late as possible.
“We will have to assess them and we will need to take some late decisions,” he said. “The question mark will be first who will be available, then also for how many minutes.”
Joe Rodon joins that list of major doubts, further complicating selection at both ends of the pitch. Beyond that, though, the Leeds manager can at least take some comfort: “All the others seem to be okay.”
And there is one clear positive. Daniel James has come through his first full training week and is “definitely also in contention for this game.” His return injects pace and direct running into a side that may badly need both if Calvert-Lewin, Stach and Okafor are reduced to cameo roles – or ruled out altogether.
Leeds head to Sunderland knowing the margin for error in the Championship is thin. Whether their main attacking weapons make it onto the team sheet could say plenty about how bold Farke is prepared to be in the months ahead.
