Leeds United have received a double boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Leicester City.
Brendan Rodgers revealed in recent comments cited by the Yorkshire Post that both Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu are now set to miss the Whites’ visit on Thursday evening, with the former suffering from a calf injury that saw him miss the Foxes’ draw with Crystal Palace last weekend, and the latter suffering from a knee injury picked up on international duty.
“Jonny won’t make the game,” the 49-year-old said of the center-back duo’s current condition. We’ll see how he feels this weekend. Cags, he’s got a knee problem that we need to look into.
“He’s had it since he came back from international duty, he has had a scan done on that, so we have to wait for the result. He hasn’t been quite where he wants to be in terms of his fitness, and we think he’ll miss the game as well.”
Big boost for Marsch
Considering just how important both Evans and Soyuncu are in the heart of the Leicester backline, the news that both players look set to miss Thursday’s clash with Leeds will undoubtedly come as a big boost to Jesse Marsch and his side.
Indeed, over his six Premier League appearances so far this season, Evans has been in fine form for the Foxes, helping his side keep one clean sheet, in addition to making an average of 1.8 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 3.4 clearances and winning 3.8 duels – at a success rate of 62% – per game.
These returns have seen the 34-year-old average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.76, currently ranking him as Rodgers’ sixth-best performer in the top flight of English football this term.
Meanwhile, while Soyuncu is yet to feature in the league this season, the 26-year-old proved over his 28 Premier League appearances in 2021/22 just how important he is at the King Power, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 4.0 clearances and winning 5.6 duels – at a success rate of 63% – per game.
With these performances, the center-back averaged an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.83, placing him as the Foxes’ tenth-best player in the league the previous week.
As a result, the continued absence of the defensive duo will clearly benefit Leeds’ chances of bringing all three points back to Elland Road on Thursday night – a result Marsch will undoubtedly be desperate for in order to end the Whites’ current six-game winless streak.
