Leeds United go to Hillsborough on Friday to face Sheffield Wednesday, who will be without playmaker Ian Poveda because he is unable to play against his parent club.
Leeds’ promotion battle will go down to the wire, with all four sides at the top of the league competing with tremendous talent.
March has provided Leeds with a difficult run of fixtures in a short period of time, with three in a row fighting for their lives – Sheffield Wednesday is up next.
Ian Poveda shines for the Owls after Leeds loan exit
Ian Poveda has been in excellent form for Sheffield Wednesday after completing his deadline-day loan move from Elland Road.
Playing frequently under Dany Rohl, the winger quickly found his rhythm, earning a Man of the Match award on his full debut, and has helped them win countless games since coming.
Not only has he delivered good performances on the football to endear himself to the Owls fans, but his social media captions have made him a quick favourite:
Poveda will miss the Leeds game because he is facing his parent club.
The Owls and Rohl face a difficulty in that their next opponent is Poveda’s parent club, Leeds, meaning he will be ineligible to play on Friday night.
Wednesday will be hoping to put up a good enough performance to avoid needing Poveda to get past Leeds, but it is a significant setback for Rohl.
They have proven to be more than relegation fodder since their disastrous start to the season, and, like some of their opponents, they have made the battle to finish outside the bottom three quite interesting.
However, losing their key creative spark could be a major blow, as Poveda has clearly contributed significantly to the Owls’ recent form improvement.