Leeds United face Southampton in their latest Premier League fixture this afternoon. The Whites go up against Ralph Hasenhuttl's men knowing a third consecutive win in-a-row would all but guarantee their Premier League status next season. While it would not make Jesse Marsch's side mathematically safe, it would propel Leeds considerably closer to mid-table than the bottom three.
Southampton will prove no easy opponent, however, having already defeated the Whites 1-0 on the south coast this season. At Elland Road, though, with the welcome return of either Kalvin Phillips or Liam Cooper to the starting XI, and the Saints on the back of four straight defeats, Leeds can be considered slight favourites.
Junior Firpo, Jamie Shackleton, Leo Hjelde, Tyler Roberts and Patrick Bamford will play no part, Marsch confirmed in his pre-match press conference. Firpo is ahead of schedule following a knee injury suffered in Marsch's second game in charge, while Shackleton is continuing to make his recovery from a calf injury but is not yet training with the main group at Thorp Arch. Roberts is ruled out for the season following hamstring surgery, while Bamford's well-documented injury woes see him miss another six weeks with a ruptured plantar fascia. Youngster Hjelde is close to a return, having been successfully operated on last month, but is not deemed fit enough to make the squad this weekend.
READ MORE: Leeds United vs Southampton pundit predictions
There is uncertainty over who will start in goal against the Saints, though. Illan Meslier has started every match for Leeds this season, across all competitions, but was substituted in the 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. A club statement revealed six days ago that the Frenchman had suffered 'severe bruising' following a collision with Raul Jimenez, but Marsch failed to mention the young stopper when discussing injuries during Thursday afternoon's press conference.
Norwegian goalkeeper and summer signing Kristoffer Klaesson deputised during the final 35 minutes at Molineux two weeks ago and could be in line for a first Premier League start if Meslier has been deemed unavailable by the medical staff. Fortunately, Klaesson has been a regular for the U23 side this season, and on the back of some promising recent performances, is not exactly lacking match practice. Here is the squad Jesse Marsch is expected to name at Elland Road later today.
Expected Leeds United squad vs Southampton: Illan Meslier, Kristoffer Klaesson, Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Charlie Cresswell, Nohan Kenneh, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Stuart Dallas, Kalvin Phillips, Adam Forshaw, Mateusz Klich, Rodrigo Moreno, Sam Greenwood, Raphinha, Joe Gelhardt, Daniel James, Jack Harrison, Crysencio Summerville
