Leeds United duo drop out as pair return v Ipswich Town with trio injured and attacker ill

A Leeds United pair return for Saturday lunchtime's Championship showdown at home to promotion rivals Ipswich Town for which a Whites pair drop out.

Whites boss Daniel Farke revealed at Thursday's pre-match press conference that both Junior Firpo and Ian Poveda were back in the mix for this weekend's crunch clash against the Tractor Boys following their recent returns.

Left back Firpo had returned to training last week upon his recovery from a hamstring injury but Saturday’s visit of Coventry City arrived too soon for him to be involved. Poveda, meanwhile, returned this week from international duty with Colombia for whom he made his first two appearances.

Poveda and Firpo both arrived with the Whites squad for Saturday's showdown against Ipswich and both are named on the bench in replacing Bournemouth loanee Jaidon Anthony who is ill and also Luke Ayling who misses out completely as Farke again names an unchanged side.

Farke has named an unchanged XI for United’s last two games in which the Whites have picked up just one point via Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Coventry City which followed the midweek 1-0 reverse at Sunderland.

The one-point return has left Leeds ten points behind Ipswich in the Championship’s second automatic promotion place and 13 points adrift of leaders Leicester City. The Whites are also now level on points with fourth-placed Southampton.

Sam Byram (hamstring), Jamie Shackleton (glute) and longer term absentee Stuart Dallas (femoral fracture) remain out.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has made one change to his side for whom Axel Tuanzebe replaces Luke Woolfenden. Ex-Whites defender Leif Davis also starts against his former side.

Leeds United v Ipswich Town: Meslier, Gray, Rodon, Struijk, Spence; Ampadu, Kamara; James, Summerville, Piroe, Rutter. Subs: Darlow, Firpo, Cooper, Gruev, Poveda, Joseph, Gelhardt, Gnonto, Bamford.

Ipswich Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst. Subs: Walton, Williams, Woolfenden, Ball, Taylor, Hutchinson, Harness, Jackson, Ladapo.