Preston North End manager Alex Neil has recently said that "any team would suffer without their key players", in preparation of his side's trip to Leeds United on Tuesday night.

Leeds have been hit with an injury crisis in recent weeks, with the likes of Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez, Gaetano Berardi and Patrick Bamford all out of action, the latter being on the sidelines for the next four months.

And Scottish boss Neil has stated in the club's pre-match press conference that "any team would suffer without their key players".

"Leeds have been without Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez and they haven’t won a game since - it’s not an excuse, it just shows how key certain players can be to a team."

Marcelo Bielsa's men remain the only team unbeaten in the Championship thus far this term, and look strong favourites to beat Neil's men on Tuesday night with the Lancashire club without a win in their last six league outings.

The Verdict

I think it's true what Neil is saying - Leeds have found it tough over the last couple of weeks having drew twice, which aren't bad results when you consider that they faced title rivals Middlesbrough and also faced a tough away trip at Millwall.

There is no doubt, however, that Leeds still have the quality to continue their unbeaten run, and Neil's men will have to be at their best if they are to get something out of Tuesday night's fixture.