Leeds United v Norwich City - Championship play-off semi-final: All the latest team news | OneFootball

Leeds United host Norwich City in the Championship play-off semi-final second-leg at Elland Road with the game in the balance following a 0-0 draw at Carrow Road in the first-leg.

Daniel Farke's side had been the form team in the division in 2024 up until the international break, but their end of season results had plenty of fans worried heading into the play-offs, having just missed out on automatic promotion.

The draw at his former side on Sunday was a positive result for his side, given Norwich's free-scoring form at home, and with Leeds conceding nine times in three games prior to the trip to Norfolk. Norwich have it all to do but will take solace from Leeds failing to win in any of their final three home games of the regular season, losing two of those.

An expectant home crowd face a Norwich side with the sixth-worst away record this season. Meanwhile, Leeds themselves have the second-best home form in the league, with 16 wins and five draws in 23 games in the league this term.

A trip to Wembley awaits the victor during tomorrow's 8pm kick-off, with the final to be held on Sunday 26th May. As the season-defining game looms ever closer, we take a look at all the latest team news and injury issues for both sides ahead of the clash.

There is no pre-match press conference for either manager this week in the buildup to the match, so as for concrete team news – the matchday arrivals will be the first indication of who is going to be present for Leeds and Norwich.

Pascal Struijk

Pascal Struijk has not featured since the Boxing Day defeat at Preston North End after suffering a complex adductor injury, which initially saw him sidelined for months. Following a course of injections and attempts at rehabilitation into the first-team fold, the defender then underwent surgery in March.

He will not play again this season, and the centre-back who has captained the club on a number of occasions this season is set for a return some time during pre-season.

Connor Roberts

Leeds' loanee right-back helped Burnley to promotion last season and could be involved at Elland Road after making his return from injury as a substitute against Southampton, whilst remaining an unused substitute in the first-leg.

His experience could be invaluable, but Connor Roberts had missed the two games prior to Southampton with an injury.

"[A full week of training] will be beneficial for a player like Connor Roberts,"Farke said. "For example, [before the Southampton defeat] he had just one training session. I was happy I was able to give him at least 10 or 15 minutes back on the pitch. [It will be] beneficial for him."

Patrick Bamford

Bamford has been absent for the last few games due to bruising on his knee, which was causing him difficulty in extending his leg, and seems to have become a bigger issue than was first thought. The 30-year-old’s presence up top as a focal point has been sorely missed for Farke and co. during the consecutive defeats to QPR and Southampton and he was unable to feature in the first-leg.

Farke revealed that the Leeds striker has a more serious issue, which came as a "surprise" to him and his staff. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Farke said: "Patrick will definitely miss both legs of the [semi-final]. He’s seen a different knee consultant and there is a mini trauma in the patellar tendon. He definitely needs a couple of weeks to recover."

Josh Sargent

There are fears that Norwich could make the trip without Josh Sargent, as the striker went off late on during the goalless draw with an ankle problem. The USA international missed a chunk of the campaign with a similar issue, so it was understandably a concern, particularly as Sargent has been outstanding for the Canaries, scoring 16 goals in the league to help them secure sixth place, despite featuring in just 26 games in the regular season.

However, David Wagner gave a positive update when speaking to the BBC post-match. He said: “I haven’t spoken with him (Sargent) or the medical department, and obviously he was not able to carry on. He has some problems with his ankle but he is a tough guy. I don’t think this will be a big issue for Thursday in such an important game, but I haven’t spoken with him.

Ashley Barnes

Ashley Barnes is also a doubt after missing the first-leg with a calf problem. Wagner added: “I don’t think there is a big chance, but we know Barnesy is Barnesy and I know that our medical department works 24/7, so I won’t rule him out, but the chance is not huge.”

Jonathan Rowe, starting his first game since recovering from a long-term injury, didn't quite look up to full speed, whilst the pot absence of both him and Sargent could see forward Sydney van Hooijdonk handed his first start for the Norwich since joining the club on loan in January.

Liam Gibbs

Liam Gibbs has a muscle issue and remains in the treatment room for the clash at Elland Road, leaving Kenny McLean and Marcelino Nunez to occupy the pivot positions at the base of midfield.

Gibbs has featured just 29 times for Norwich City this season under Wagner, including just eight starts in that time, but the youngster has missed the last five games now and it's unclear if he will return again this season.

Onel Hernandez

Onel Hernandez's broken foot has seen the experienced winger sidelined in the treatment room. He has not taken part in any game since mid-February, missing the last 13 games in all competitions.

With just a year left on his contract at Carrow Road, his future remains unclear. Hernandez has played a part in 35 games this season, including the 3-2 defeat to Leeds in October, where he gave Archie Gray a torrid time at right-back for the Canaries.

Suspension news emerges for play-offs

Both clubs may have feared the potential for suspensions ahead of the final at Wembley, knowing that some competitions have a yellow card ban in place for players that accumulate bookings over two-legged ties.

However, the Yorkshire Evening Post have relayed confirmation from the EFL that no player will be suspended for the play-off final if they find themselves booked and their side makes it there on Thursday:

“The EFL has confirmed to the YEP that players shown yellow cards in each leg of this season’s Championship play-off semi-final legs will not be suspended for the final at Wembley Stadium, should their team qualify.“

That means the players that were cautioned at Carrow Road have nothing to worry about, they are: Shane Duffy, Dimitris Giannoulis, Christian Fassnacht, and Willy Gnonto.