Leeds have a full squad to choose from for the trip to Peterborough United, apart from Alan Sheehan, whose return is delayed by injury.
Sheehan would have been eligible after his three ban came to an end last Saturday, but he has now been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Alan White and Ben Parker are both in the squad to cover the left-back position, but there’s no word yet as to which of them will start the game.
Gary Mc.Allister is delighted with the way that the team have picked up over the last month, but he knows that we need to keep going, especially as Leicester pushed us down into fourth place by winning their game in hand in midweek. He told the official site "I've been really pleased with September. It's not only the points we've put on the board but some of the performances have touched on some really good stuff. It's been good to watch. I still feel there's a bit more in there, but that's because I see it most days on the training ground. If we keep showing the same desire and commitment to win matches, I don't think we'll be far away."
Macca was also keen to make sure his players don’t take it too easy at London Road, and he was full of praise for their managerial team of Darren Ferguson and Barry Fry. "Barry's a good guy who I have a lot of respect for. He's got terrific experience, he's pulled them from League Two to League One and he's in there supporting Darren. Darren is a young manager who has the fantastic experience of living alongside his father,who is one of the greatest managers of all time. We're expecting a tough game down there. They're well organised and they're trying to play good football.”
For his part, Fergie junior has been hoping his players won’t freeze in front of such a big crowd (by Peterborough’s standards). He told the Peterborough Evening Telegraph "Temperament is a big part of football these days and I don't have any worries on that front. We've had a lot of big games in the last 12 months so it is not something that is new to us. "We have done a lot of work in training on ways to deal with the threat Leeds pose on and off the ball, and the lads responded very well. Jermaine Beckford is obviously a big danger and we know all about him, but Leeds have plenty of decent individuals who can cause teams problems. You wouldn't expect anything else from a team that will be right up there, but they don't have a divine right just because they are Leeds."
Peterborough have made a reasonable start to their first season after promotion, and they sit comfortably in mid-table, with three wins and three defeats from their first eight games. But they have mixed news on the injury front. Central defender Gaby Zakuani has been declared fit after injury forced him out of their win at MK Dons. He is likely to win back his starting place ahead of Chris Westwood, even though the latter was impressed as he stood in last Saturday. But winger Sergio Torres and midfielder Dean Keates have picked up a couple of knocks, and this pair join long-term absentees Shane Blackett and Aaron Mclean on the sidelines.
Since Macca took over, we’ve had slightly better results away from home than at Elland Road, and I think this will continue tomorrow. It’s going to be close, but I think we will win by the odd goal, maybe with a score of 2-1.