Leeds United Under 23s boss Mark Jackson says he is pleased to have the majority of his squad back available from international duty ahead of the game against Chelsea on Friday.
The Whites will be looking to build on a 2-1 win over Mansfield Town in the Premier League Cup after Sean McGurk and Max Dean both found the scoresheet at the LNER Community Stadium.
That was Leeds' first victory in seven matches following a dissapointing run in the league and they will be keen to address that when they face the Blues.
Jackson, however, hasn't had much time to prepare his players for the game, but he did reveal that they have returned to training following the break and he has kept a close eye on their progress.
Speaking to LUTV, he said: "Everyone is back in the building now. We’ve come together to work on the game plan and the structure for the game.
"I always like to catch up with the players when they get back in from international duty. We have a clear understanding of what they do whilst away, we monitor all their games and performances.
"We’ve know the minutes they’ve played, their training, what they’ve been exposed to whilst away and what shape they are in. They’ve all come back in good spirits and are ready to go!"
Meanwhile, Chelsea come into the game off the back of 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last time out and are searching for their first away victory of the season.
They currently sit second bottom on just 10 points from their opening 11 matches, but Jackson is anticipating a tricky test from the Blues despite their mixed start.
"As always, we’ll be expecting a tough game," he explained.
"They have a world-renowned academy down at Chelsea, with a long history of producing top players.
"We know they have a lot of players out on loan at the minute, but they still have a lot of quality within the squad too.
"We’ll be facing a very good team who will cause us problems, but we will be ready for that. We want to use Monday’s result as a platform to create some momentum.
"It’s really important for the players to do that, and that’s their challenge against Chelsea. We want to build on the level of performance and play the way we want to play.
"We want to start to build momentum with regards to results now. It’s an important part of their development as players, so hopefully being at Thorp Arch, it’s a good opportunity to do that."
