Daniel Farke's side deals with a handful of absences but Crystal Palace's injury crisis runs far deeper heading into the Elland Road clash
Leeds United will be without at least three players when they host Crystal Palace on September 20. The match kicks off at 14:00 BST at Elland Road. Their most recent outing there, a 4-1 demolition of Newcastle on September 14, set the tone for what the home crowd expects from Daniel Farke’s unbeaten side.
Leeds missing three, but Gruev returns
Harry Wilson is sidelined with a quadriceps strain. Joe Rodon is nursing a hamstring issue. Mateo Joseph is unavailable due to a knee problem.
Ilia Gruev is back in contention after completing nearly 90 minutes with the under-21s as part of his recovery from a long-term knee injury. Farke has acknowledged that Gruev’s availability adds meaningful depth to the squad.
Palace’s injury crisis is a different animal entirely
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson is out with a foot or ankle injury. Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is sidelined with a hamstring problem. Chadi Riad is dealing with a season-long knee injury. Axel Disasi picked up a red card against Ipswich on September 12, earning himself a three-match suspension, meaning Pierre Sage has to reconstruct his backline without two of his central defensive options simultaneously.
Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah are also listed as doubts, which could strip Palace of two more attacking players. If both miss out alongside Mateta, Sage will be working with a severely depleted forward line against a team that just put four past Newcastle.
