Middlesbrough v Leeds United: Daniel Farke press conference, Struijk and Rothwell injures latest — YEP 7/4/25

By Lee Sobot

Pascal Struijk limped off against Luton with Joe Rothwell and Mateo Joseph already missing.

Leeds United face an enormous swift return to action with Tuesday night’s Championship clash at Middlesbrough, ahead of which Whites boss Daniel Farke holds his pre-match press conference today. Live updates below with Pascal Struijk, Joe Rothwell and Mateo Joseph updates top of the list.

On lack of clean sheets away of late.

“It is something we have addressed. We were one chance away at Luton from being rock solid. We have to be even better, we have to make sure in the next game that we don’t give away one chance. If we return back to the dressing room we know we have a great chance to return with all three points if not one. I liked our defending in the last game but we allowed a counter attack in the first half and we have to allow Middlesbrough not even one.”

Who is main set piece taker now?

“We have Manor Solomon or Dan James, Ilia Gruev has also taken a lot, Max Wober is also a candidate, it depends on the pitch and who is available. It’s not like we have just a number one.”

What is the data telling you in terms of players who have featured the most?

“It depends, I am not a big believer in speaking about tiredness but if you speak about it you will feel it. Jaidon Anthony has played every game and scored a brace. We have rotated a lot and it’s like when you have a drier spell just concentrate a bit more. With Manor in the last game he was involved in each and every chance. I would have preferred he would have put the ball in the net but it’s fine margins. It’s about not feeling sorry for yourself and working harder.”

On Ramazani, what do you want from him?

“We all love Largie Ramazani and we all want to bring him in because he has a touch of magic. No-one is to blame for injury but it stopped his momentum. He is a confidence player and goes for risky situations. It is not easy when he comes in. He know that he can be a spark in games but it is also important that he is reliable in the crunch. In general, when you bring a player in 70-75 minutes you should invest more in running distances, that’s not Largie but in general. To be strong and also reliable and not go for the most risky solutions. We know he has the capacity to take the supporters from the seat with a no look pass or a nutmeg. He has to learn and develop in this game and then he can make a big, big impact.”

Farke on the table

“We are sitting on 82 points with six games left, last season 90, my football doesn’t really on draws. My football is made for winning games and I am just happy when we win games but there is a different between being not happy and slaughtering a team after a draw. We know that if we win our games due to Burnley playing Sheffield United, we know that we are in the Premier League. It’s important I keep my nerves and stay calm, I was brought in to bring some cool and calmness and this is what I try to give.”

On Joseph

“He was back in training yesterday.”

On Boro

“We face a strong side, we know they are in pretty impressive form at the moment. We know we will have to be at our best and we have to make sure we defend structed and compact.”

Farke on Bamford, how ready is he?

“Patrick is in training since nearly four weeks right now so each and every day helps.

“I liked what he did in training and even without the illness of Mateo he would have been in the squad. Obviously he was out since the beginning of January and can't be there at 100 per cent but the last 25 minutes were beneficial for him.

“Right now after he was back in the squad for the first time it wouldn't be natural to put him right away into the starting line-up but he's an option and with his experience and enthusiasm it's good to have him back. I liked his movements, he was involved in two or three really dangerous scenes."

Farke on other defensive options after Ampadu

“Max Wober was out for many weeks, has had just one full week of training so of course normally you wouldn't say he's fit for 90 minutes,. The last few minutes were good for him. At least for the short term appearances he's available. Jos Guilavogui has played this role, Sam Byram can play this role, James Debayo is a young option. Sometimes you have to adapt to the reality and we will find some good solutions."

Struijk is out, team news:

Farke: "Everything is okay. We will still have the training session after the press conference because I want to train a bit closer to the normal match game time, so a relatively late session. We have one or two question marks but all the other players are in a good mood.

“We have two problems, one is Joe Rothwell like I mentioned after the last game. Calf injury, he will be out this week definitely, probably also for the Easter weekend. We hope he's back available for the last two games. If he could come back early it would be a bonus.

"Pascal Struijk will definitely miss the two games in this week, we need to wait for some further assessments. He got a knock on his foot and the fear is there could be a little fracture. That would mean the season is over for him. We still hope for the best of course but he'll definitely be out for the next two games."