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Farke on fitness latest, Trafford's confidence and team's winless run
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- Farke on fitness latest, Trafford's confidence and team's winless run
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Tottenham at Elland Road (kick-off 12:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Farke confirmed Joe Rodon has returned to full team training following his extended period on the sidelines, while Noah Okafor and Anton Stach are "major doubts" for Saturday's game, with both having missed training this week due to injury.
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a minor setback with his foot injury, but the Leeds boss is "carefully optimistic" the striker will return to training on Friday.
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James Justin and Gabriel Gudmundsson are both available after recovering from knocks.
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Farke praised Sean Longstaff's recent performances, saying he has "looked sharp" and has been unlucky not to score.
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James Trafford will "remain in goal" for the match against Spurs, despite his mistake last week, with the German insisting the young goalkeeper must "not lose confidence" or change his game.
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Farke insisted he is not nervous about Leeds' winless run and the squad remain calm and confident. He also reiterated that the club's immediate target is to "reach 40 points as quickly as possible".
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On rumours surrounding Calvert-Lewin's contract, the manager refused to comment, but described the forward as an "important player" for the side.
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He acknowledged Tottenham's attacking quality and their ambitions of qualifying for Europe: "You can't choose, you have to adapt to challenges. Don't have to speak about their quality, especially in offence when you look at what they can spend. All the chances to fight for Europe but we want to reduce their chances on Saturday."
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Farke said there is "no coincidence" behind Leeds' record in early kick-offs, but pointed to the club's previous struggles in relegation battles as a factor.
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He admitted the atmosphere is "not that easy to replicate" during a lunchtime match, but stressed the importance of supporters: "It's our responsibility to fire them up, this is what we try to do."
Listen to more from Farke by pressing play above or on BBC Sounds here
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
