Leeds United go into their FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea with plenty of confidence, but some huge absentees. Daniel Farke's side took another huge step towards guaranteeing their safety with the impressive 2-2 away draw with Bournemouth.
Sean Longstaff's 97th-minute goal put Leeds on 40 points, the magic figure which is usually enough to guarantee safety in the top flight. It means Farke and his players can focus on this weekend's clash with Chelsea, who have endured a turbulent week.
Their 3-0 away defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion resulted in Liam Rosenior losing his job and former U21s boss Calum McFarlane being put in charge. With the Blues dropping down to 8th, it's possible a FA Cup triumph may be their best way of securing European football.
Nevertheless, Farke's side will have plenty of belief, having beaten the Blues 3-1 when Enzo Maresca was in charge and coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge a matter of weeks ago. Ahead of the clash at Wembley, Leeds Live takes a look at the key absentees from both sides.
Leeds United
Leeds are enduring some injury issues heading into the clash at Wembley. After Ilia Gruev was absent from the draw at Bournemouth, Farke confirmed the Bulgarian had sustained a significant injury which will keep him out for the rest of the campaign. The Leeds manager revealed: "Sadly bad news with Ilia Gruev.
"A meniscus injury is confirmed and will keep him out for the whole season and he won't be able to help us for the FA Cup or the run-in. We expect to have him back for the start of pre-season. It's not ideal for us and we all feel for him."
Jayden Bogle is also a doubt for the match after picking up a foot injury, though Farke remains hopeful he will be fit enough to feature. He said: "Jayden Bogle got a hit against his foot. It seems to be not too bad. We need to wait and see how quickly he can recover, we hope to have him available."
German international Anton Stach's fitness is equally uncertain after rolling his ankle, with the midfielder yet to return to training. Addressing his fellow countryman's condition, Farke said: "He's not yet in team training.
"But we have a few more days and we will see. Of course if a key player like him is back in training then he has a chance. Let's see in the next 72 hours."
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Chelsea
The most significant and deflating injury news of the week for Chelsea centred on Estevao Willian, who sustained a serious hamstring injury just 16 minutes into the match against Manchester United.
Having already sat out the Brighton defeat, it was subsequently confirmed that he had suffered a grade four injury, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign. He will play no part this weekend.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to surround Joao Pedro's availability. The striker missed the match against his former side Brighton, with Rosenior acknowledging beforehand that his recovery from a thigh problem remained uncertain ahead of this weekend's fixture.
Cole Palmer was also sidelined for the Brighton clash due to a hamstring complaint, though Rosenior expressed greater optimism about the England international's prospects, stating: "He's out for this game and we'll see how he moves on for the FA Cup semi-final."
Jamie Gittens is set to remain unavailable, with his hamstring injury sustained in January showing no clear return date. Furthermore, Levi Colwill, who hasn't featured at all this season following a severe ACL injury picked up before the campaign began, continues his rehabilitation.
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