Pundit raises issue that Leeds United could face ahead of Elland Road, Burnley showdown | OneFootball

EFL Pundit Sam Parkin has identified a potential concern for Leeds United ahead of Burnley's visit to Elland Road on Saturday afternoon

Pundit Sam Parkin has cited the plethora of Leeds United players summoned for international duty as a concern for Saturday's Elland Road showdown against Burnley, although he still expects the home side to come away with all three points.

Daniel Farke's side will face their sternest test to date when Burnley travel across the Pennines for Saturday afternoon's affair. Similarly to the previous season, Leeds have quickly picked up following a slow start which had saw them concede twice in their opening two games against Portsmouth and Middlesbrough [Carabao Cup], although they have not let in a goal since then.

Indeed, the Whites headed into the September international break with wind in their sails, having claimed consecutive 2-0 victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City. Leeds' recent form has pushed them to fourth in the division heading into the visit of Burnley, whom they are one point and two places above in the league standings at the time of writing.

The Clarets made a scintillating start to life back in the Championship by beating Luton Town 4-1 before putting Cardiff City to the sword at Turf Moor in a 5-0 rout less than a week later.

However, following wholesale departures in the final stages of the summer transfer window, Burnley have just dropped off somewhat and will head to West Yorkshire in search of their first victory in nearly a month.

Sam Parkin cites potential Elland Road issue amid Leeds United v Burnley prediction

Although Parkin predicts a narrow victory for Leeds in the latest episode of the 'What The EFL?!' podcast, he has made reference to an issue which will no doubt leave Farke with a selection headache.

Leeds had twelve players away on international duty, including long-haul trips for Junior Firpo [Dominican Republic], Ao Tanaka [Japan], Brenden Aaronson [USA] and Manor Solomon [Israel].

There could quite reasonably be some tired legs and minds reentering the Leeds camp amid preparations for the weekend, and Parkin believes that it needs to be considered when assessing how the fixture may play out.

When quizzed on whether the number of players to head away from Elland Road for international allegiances should be factored into the preparations and potential outcome of the match, Parkin said: "Yeah definitely, there's going to be rotation you would suggest.

"I think Aaronson already played in the early hours of yesterday morning [against New Zealand], so he's not going to get back until quite late.

"This is a colossal clash for this early part of the season, albeit we don't really know what Burnley are probably going to look like until a couple of weeks and month's time considering the level of signings and outgoings Scott Parker has had to deal with.

"It's going to be fascinating how that front support cast is going to look with Solomon away, [Willy] Gnonto away, the aforementioned Aaronson. I think [Largie] Ramazani potentially could get a start here, so we'll have to keep an eye on that one.

"But you know, Leeds are doing really well. I think Clarkey [Adrian Clarke] spoke about Solomon last week, if you were going to go and replace [Crysencio] Summerville with anyone who's already plying their trade in this country, Solomon is right up there. He's got the signature move that they lost from Summerville, chopping in from the left-hand side and bending it.

"He's got the low centre of gravity, he looks like a really good player. I've covered him on the international stage a couple of times, he's a very, very good player, so that's a great get for them.

"Just flashing back to that Hull victory the other week, Leeds were far and away the better side. It maybe even flattered Hull, the 2-0 scoreline.

"[Mateo] Joseph getting his first goal of the season was really important because his performances have deserved that and keeping [Joel] Piroe out of the team is no mean feat, so he's going to be a little bit of a breakout star this season for them.

"They're creating a lot in comparison to Burnley actually, I think Burnley's return of 10 goals flatters them greatly compared to what they've been creating.

"All of a sudden, after the debacle of the opening two games where they [Leeds] conceded six goals, the back five look incredibly solid. So I make Leeds favourites, I think with the continuity that they've got with Farke, I would fancy them to win this one narrowly.

Daniel Farke may have to utilise squad depth for Burnley fixture

As Parkin aludes to, there could be a number of players with a first opportunity to show their worth from the opening whistle this weekend.

Ramazani came off the bench against Hull and could be poised to feature in the starting side given that the aforementioned Solomon played 170 minutes across two UEFA Nations League qualifiers for Israel, while Aaronson's stateside trip to face off with New Zealand and Canada may leave him understandably jetlagged and under the weather, potentially opening the door for Bournemouth loanee Joe Rothwell to make his first start.