Leeds United head to Griffin Park on Monday to take on a Brentford side who are capable of beating anyone on their day in the Championship.

This weekend's loss to Wigan dealt a massive blow to the hopes of the Whites landing the second automatic promotion spot, and they must now ensure they win all their final three games to put the maximum pressure on Sheffield United above them.

However, things are already going wrong for Leeds it would seem, with the news emerging this weekend that Liam Cooper is set to miss out again when Marcelo Bielsa's men make the trip south to take on the Bees in two days time.

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Cooper has not always been the best in terms of ability, but his presence and attitude in the first XI makes a big difference for Leeds.

It has been plain to see in the last few games too, and despite Gaetano Berardi being an able deputy, Cooper just has a commanding presence and aura about him which seems to inspire the rest of the team around him.

His loss at Brentford will be a big one, and Leeds fans will no doubt be extremely worried that they have to make the tricky trip to Griffin Park without their influential skipper to lead them.

The Leeds fans are a passionate bunch, but things like this happening at the crucial stage of the season are the sort of things which can suck the life right out of even the most positive of fans.

They will of course do all they can to inspire their team to a vital win over Brentford, but there is a feeling that without Cooper, Bielsa's men could well lack the vital leadership skills they need to get them over the line at this point of the season.