Leeds United travel to face Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday aiming to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season. The match at the Amex Stadium pits two sides level on four points after two games, with Leeds currently sitting ninth in the table with five points from three matches.
Daniel Farke's side began the campaign with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest and followed it with a 1-1 draw against Brentford at Elland Road, where Kevin Schade scored before Dominic Calvert-Lewin's equaliser. They also secured a 1-0 victory at the City Ground in the EFL Cup. Brighton, meanwhile, opened with a commanding 4-0 win against Aston Villa and progressed in Europe with a 4-0 second-leg victory over Tromso, though they suffered a 4-3 defeat to Chelsea last time out.
Leeds will be without key defender Joe Rodon for the trip to the south coast. The manager confirmed the bad news this week. "Bad news. Joe has a hamstring injury," Farke said. "He will be out for, at the moment, an assessment of eight to 10 weeks so he will definitely not play before the next international break." Rodon sustained the injury during the draw with Brentford.
His absence is a significant blow for a squad already missing Ilia Gruev and Mateo Joseph, as confirmed by the club's current injuries report. Finding a solution in central defence becomes an immediate priority for Farke as his team prepares for a challenging run of fixtures. The manager must now reorganise his back line against a Brighton attack that has seen seven different players score already this season.
After three matches, Leeds United hold ninth place in the Premier League standings. They have five points from one win and two draws, with a goal difference of plus one having scored three and conceded two. This leaves them four points behind early leaders Manchester City. Brighton are just below them, also on four points from two games but with a superior goal difference of plus seven.
This context makes Saturday's encounter an early opportunity for either side to gain a small advantage in the tightly packed middle of the table. A positive result for Leeds would provide momentum ahead of their next fixture, a home game against Newcastle United on September 14th. Fans can track the full schedule on the club's fixtures page.
History suggests this will be a difficult assignment for the visitors. Leeds have not won at the Amex Stadium, and their last away league victory against Brighton came all the way back in 2009. The Seagulls have established themselves as a formidable opponent at home in recent years.
Midfielder Jaka Bijol acknowledged the challenge ahead. "It is going to be one really hard game again and we have to be at our best level to bring the fight to them to get the result," he said. Leeds will need to be disciplined and clinical to end this long wait for an away win in this fixture. The match kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, September 5th, with Stuart Attwell as referee and James Bell on VAR duties.
Leeds United's next match is at Elland Road against seventh-placed Newcastle on September 14.
