Sunderland Boosted as Leeds United Boss Confirms Setback for Sunday's Fixture

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke confirmed two absences for Sunday's Premier League trip to Sunderland.

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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke confirmed bad news for his team before traveling to the Stadium of Light on Sunday to face Sunderland. Both Sean Longstaff and Daniel James are ruled out, although he holds hope regarding Lukas Nmecha.

The match against the Cats is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. (UK) at the Stadium of Light, with both clubs in strong form in the Premier League.

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Sunderland Boosted as Leeds United Boss Confirms Setback for Sunday's Fixture

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"No chance for Sean. Also not, obviously, for Daniel James. It’s a small chance for Lukas Nmecha to be involved, so there’s some progress," he said, via the Sunderland Echo. "I hope I have him at some point during this week back in team training, and if he comes through the sessions, then he could definitely be a topic for the squad, and he could travel with us, but he’s more or less the only one from the long-term injuries who could perhaps feature in this game."

Sunderland arrives at this match sitting in sixth place in the Premier League. Leeds, for its part, is steadying its performance and is coming off a four-game unbeaten run, with draws against Liverpool and Brentford, and victories over Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

"In football, everything is connected. I think he also benefits a lot from that we were capable to prepare many, many situations out of open play last game," Farke said. "We’re pretty effective out of set plays as well. I think he benefits from good performance from the whole team, and also, the better we are in possession, the better the offensive players work, the easier it is for my back-line to be rock solid."

"You have to work to keep going exactly with the same work rate that you’ve shown in training, also in the weeks before, otherwise it will be tricky, so it’s important. I’m a big believer that in the end, you will always get what you’re willing to invest, and he has invested a lot so far," he added.