Leeds United have had little luck when it comes to consistently naming a back four this season after their recent defensive injury crisis.

Marcelo Bielsa will be without Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper, Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling who are all unavailable for the match against Queens Park Rangers this weekend.

Cooper is expected to be out for six weeks having undergone knee surgery in the week, Dallas suffered a fracture in his foot in the win over Sheffield United last week.

Berardi is severing his second stint of the season on the sidelines with a serious hamstring tear and could be out until the new year.

And Ayling has knee ligament issues and is also expected to be out until January.

Tom Pearce, too, albeit an infrequent option under Bielsa, is out with a metatarsal injury.

With so few first-choice options at the back, it could be a depleted backline for Leeds this weekend.

Whoever starts will play ahead of first-choice stopper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

And Bielsa will be looking ahead to the clash at Elland Road and pick the best back four available to him.

With that said, here’s the defensive unit we expect to see against QPR after the recent injury update from the club.

The young right-back has made just one start and six substitute appearances this term for Leeds and hasn’t had a sustainable amount of game since playing 46 minutes back in August.

Since then it has been a total of 29 minutes over his last five appearances.

But with options thin on the ground, Jame Shackleton is expected to make his second start of the season this weekend against QPR.

The main-man at centre-half for Leeds this season.

With him fit and available there is no question of his inclusion in the squad.

Pontus Jansson will be the one Marcelo Bielsa relies on at the back to command his line and be resolute against the threats QPR will undoubtedly pose.

No stranger to moving into the back four form his usual holding role.

Kalvin Phillips is expected to line-up next to Pontus Jansson at the back for Leeds on Saturday afternoon with the host of injury problems the club has had at the back in recent weeks and months.

Having been out injured himself this season, likewise Pontus Jansson, that completes the misery that Marcelo Bielsa has had this term with - at one stage or another - all his defenders suffering an injury before the halfway part of the season.

Barry Douglas is expected to keep his place at left-back for the visit of Queens Park Rangers and continue his recent form as Leeds look to go back to the top of the Championship.