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Pundit makes Leeds United fixture claim after recent changes

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Leeds United will have been delighted by the postponement of their two games against Liverpool and Aston Villa.

That’s according to former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, who says the Elland Road club will benefit from the return from injury of several players for their next clash, against Burnley.

Leeds had been set for a busy festive period, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side due to face Liverpool at Anfield on Boxing Day, before hosting Villa just two days later on the 28th December.

However, both of those games were ultimately postponed due to a combination of injury and Covid cases within the Whites’ squad.

As a result, Leeds have now not played since the defeat to Arsenal on the 18th December, meaning they will have had more than two weeks without a game by the time they return to action against Burnley on the 2nd January.

For their part, Burnley are set to return to action with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United tomorrow night, their first game since a goalless draw with West Ham on the 12th December.

Now it seems as though Agbonlahor believes there will be a sense of relief around Leeds, at the postponement of those last two games.

Giving his verdict on what Leeds will have made of those postponements, the ex-England international told Football Insider: “They will have been buzzing to have that game against Villa postponed and that game against Liverpool on Boxing Day, it’s massive for Leeds.

“With so many injuries and covid, it gives them the chance for their next game with Burnley at the weekend to have players back from injury, not just covid. They need to start winning games, they need to start picking up points as soon as possible.

“Burnley is a massive game because both of them need points. Burnley aren’t going to roll over and will be rested as well with no game since the 12 December before their game against Man United.

“They will be thinking ‘We need a result as well, we need to get out of this relegation battle’. There are some massive games coming up. Leeds cannot afford to have Burnley beat them.”

It does feel hard to argue with Agbonlahor’s assessment here.

Given the number of players Leeds had out through injury alone, it would have been highly difficult for them to get anything out of those games with Liverpool and Villa.

This postponement however, should give them a better chance of doing that when the rearranged games come around, and should also allow them to have a much stronger squad available against Burnley.

Considering how important that game could be, with Burnley – who have even more games in hand than Leeds – not far behind the Whites in the table, having those players back could be absolutely vital for Marcelo Biesa’s side.

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UCLan Sports Journalism graduate. Have been working for Leeds All Over since summer 2020, and can only be found writing on Football League World.