Following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Elland Road, Leeds United turn their attention toward the North East as they prepare to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Sunday’s 16:30 Premier League clash.

Both teams have navigated a turbulent stretch of fixtures compounded by international break setbacks, leaving medical staff working overtime. Across both squads, a combined total of seven players are currently sidelined or facing fitness races ahead of the weekend.

Will Joe Rodon be available to face Sunderland?

For the Whites, defensive mainstay Joe Rodon remains unavailable. Rodon has been sidelined since suffering a thigh injury during the 1-1 draw against Brentford on 30 August. Speaking ahead of the Manchester United clash, Daniel Farke said the defender was “now on week seven” of an 8-10 week recovery period.

Rodon is making positive progress in his rehab but is not quite ready to return to team training. Ben Dinnery of Premier Injuries has put forward the trip to Bournemouth on 31 October as a more realistic return date for the Wales international.

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However, there is more encouraging news regarding Dan James. The Welsh winger has been unavailable for Leeds United‘s last two matches following the international break, missing fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester United.

Although Farke confirmed that James has returned to training ahead of the clash at Elland Road last week, he was not included in the matchday squad to face the Red Devils. However, the attacker is now on course to be in contention to face Sunderland.

Long-term absentee Mateo Joseph remains a definitive absentee following his ACL injury.

Brian Brobbey ‘will be ready for Leeds United’, says Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris

The hosts are dealing with their own considerable fitness headaches. Star striker Brian Brobbey made headlines before the international break by scoring a hat-trick in Sunderland’s thrilling 5-3 defeat against Manchester City. However, he picked up a thigh injury during the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw against Germany on 24 September.

Speaking ahead of Sunderland’s UEFA Europa League clash against Lech Poznan (Thursday, 22 October), Regis Le Bris confirmed that Brobbey “has trained with the squad for the last 10 days”. The Black Cats medical staff are exercising caution by not playing him in the European fixture, with the manager revealing that ‘he will be ready for Leeds’.

Sunderland will also be without several other key names, including Romaine Munde (knee), Daniel Ballard (thigh), and Thomas Meunier (thigh), alongside Kevin Danso, who serves a suspension after receiving a red card in the 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Sunday, 18 October.

On the disciplinary front, neither manager has immediate suspension worries regarding yellow card thresholds, as no players on either team are currently walking suspension tightropes. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the closest to the threshold, having picked up three yellow cards so far, remaining two bookings away from a one-match ban.