OPINION
Marcelo Bielsa didn’t give his team out in the pre-match press conference today – which is unusual – and he confirmed he could be set to make a change against Sheffield United on Saturday… at least to the bench.
Jack Clarke is set for action in the PL Cup match against Fulham tonight at Guiseley and Bielsa is considering including him in the first-team squad for the huge game on Saturday.
Clarke hasn’t played for the first-team since collapsing towards the end of the Middlesbrough game back at the start of February, but he’s playing for the Under-23s tonight.
And Bielsa confirmed he could be involved on Saturday, too. Talking in today’s pre-match press conference (live on the official LUFC app, Thursday, 12.30pm), the Leeds manager said, “We will see how he assimilates the game and I will take a decision.”
It makes tonight’s Under-23s game absolutely fascinating and we imagine more Leeds fans will be watching it than normal.
If Clarke plays 45 minutes and plays them well, there’s every chance that he could be involved on Saturday.
If he plays 90 minutes, or struggles, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be risked against Sheffield United.
Either way we can’t see him starting on Saturday, although you never know – Tyler Roberts didn’t have his best game in the 3-0 win against Reading and looked tired.
However, we can see Clarke coming on as an impact sub in the second-half and he could be the difference maker.
Netting the winner would be an almost unbelievable fairytale return for the youngster who’s thrilled Leeds fans so much already this season.