Diego Llorente will enter the fray for Leeds United in the absence of skipper Liam Cooper when his side take on Burnley at Elland Road on Sunday.
The Spanish defender is fit again after successive muscle injuries and is poised for his full Premier League debut, three months after joining from Real Sociedad.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche declared this week that his side will target Leeds’ vulnerability at set-pieces and Cooper, ruled out due to an abdominal strain, could be sorely missed.
The Leeds captain has had his fair share of criticism during the club’s rise back to the Premier League, but boss Marcelo Bielsa has only expressed admiration for the former Chesterfield defender.
“Cooper has lost out the most in the aerial duels in these last 14 games,” Bielsa said when reviewing last week’s 6-2 defeat at Manchester United.
“It’s like this because he always defends against the best opposing header.
“In this game, he scored and neutralised (Harry) Maguire, who is a very a good header of the ball. That’s the process I am looking for, to get closer to the best.”
The Scotland international was forced off at Old Trafford and joins fellow centre-half, Robin Koch, on the sidelines.
Bielsa has no other new injury worries as his side face three fixtures in six days, which could have a huge bearing on their season.
Leeds sit 14th in the table, four points and two places above Burnley, and play at second-from-bottom West Brom on Tuesday before next weekend’s game at Tottenham.
