MX23RW : Wednesday, May 8 12:11:35| >> :120:12523:12523:

Leeds sweating over Kalvin Phillips fitness for Arsenal clash

The England midfielder will be assessed after being forced off in the closing stages in Monday's home win against Crystal Palace.

Kalvin Phillips is an injury doubt for Leeds' Premier League game at Arsenal on Sunday.

The England midfielder will be assessed after being forced off in the closing stages in Monday's home win against Crystal Palace due to a calf injury.

"There's not a definite decision at the moment whether he will be able to play or not," Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa said.

"For the moment no player comes back and Kalvin remains a doubt."

Bielsa will otherwise select his starting line-up from an unchanged squad after confirming both Rodrigo and Pablo Hernandez had not yet recovered from respective muscle strains.

Defenders Diego Llorente (muscle strain), Robin Koch and Gaetano Berardi (both knee) are still out.

Berardi has yet to appear for Leeds in the Premier League after damaging knee ligaments in Leeds' win at Derby at the end of last season.

The versatile Swiss full-back rejoined the first-team squad for training this week and Bielsa said he was delighted with his progress.

"Berardi is a player respected by all his team-mates and by ourselves," Bielsa said. "He's made a big effort this last six months to recover.

"For all of us, it's a very happy moment to see him working with the team and from now onwards he will take the necessary steps so that he can start competing again."

Leeds are 10th in the table, one place and a point above Sunday's opponents Arsenal, who were fortunate to avoid defeat at Elland Road in November.

The Gunners played most of the second half with 10 men following the dismissal of striker Nicolas Pepe for sticking his head in Ezgjan Alioski's face.

Leeds squandered a hatful of chances and hit the woodwork three times through Rodrigo, Patrick Bamford and Raphinha.

"We have to bear in mind they played half a game a player down, so they were at a disadvantage, so any analysis that is made will not be a balanced one," Bielsa said.

"We had so many shots, so one of the secrets to win the game (on Sunday) will be to increase our efficiency, which is the case in all our games."

Leeds are bidding for a fourth win in five league matches and their third straight win on the road, while the Gunners will be hoping to avoid a third successive defeat.

ID:434904: cacheID:434904:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4376:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Thomas Partey pictured in Arsenal gear on October 17, 2020
Read Next:
Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey to miss Leeds clash
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City35257387335482
3Liverpool36239481384378
4Aston Villa36207973532067
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs351861169581160
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351751378562256
7Chelsea351591170591154
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd35166135255-354
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham361310135670-1449
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton351211125357-447
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36137164960-1146
13Fulham36128165155-444
14Crystal Palace361110154957-843
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3699185260-836
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3689194563-1829
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3659223974-3524
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd36372635100-6516


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!