Leeds United travel to Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round tomorrow night, and rotation is extremely expected.
Leeds’ first of four games in ten days is at Stamford Bridge, and with the Championship promotion race likely to be a nail-biter, Farke’s priorities are obvious.
Leeds have a very short turnaround following Chelsea, with an away game at Huddersfield Town at lunchtime on Saturday, which will be new manager Andre Breitenreiter’s first home game.
Farke has already revealed that Dan James, Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Patrick Bamford are all uncertain, and it would be surprising if many, if any, were put at risk on Wednesday.
In his pre-match press conference yesterday, Farke stated that a number of players, including Connor Roberts, have come into his consideration for the starting lineup.
Farke hinted at Roberts complete debut.
He stated, “All of my guys are on my mind since we are such a close group. We do not have to make too many difficult judgments right now. Connor is an experienced player who made a significant effect in the last game. “He’s definitely on my mind.”
Roberts has came off the bench in all four games for Leeds since joining from Burnley, including a standout performance against Leicester City on Friday, when his equalising goal sparked the comeback triumph.
The £2.5 million player has been unable to unseat Archie Gray as the starting right-back, but a cup tie seems like the ideal opportunity to put him in.
After making the switch in January, Roberts will have been hoping to play on a regular basis, and while that has yet to happen, his cameos have demonstrated his ability at this level.
With the hectic season approaching, it would be surprising if Chelsea is the only game he starts, allowing Farke to rotate the group.
