Some of Leeds United's biggest names could be in line for a place on the bench this weekend as Marcelo Bielsa's men take on Crawley Town in the Third Round of the FA Cup.
League Two Crawley are not expected to roll over for their Premier League opponents, but as has been the case in previous seasons, Bielsa is expected to leave out key figures.
Given the mounting defensive injury list Leeds are currently faced with, Bielsa needs to tread carefully when it comes to team selection.
In the first 17 games of this season, Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling have missed a cumulative 29 minutes of Premier League action between them.
They have been hugely dependable in light of injuries to Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Robin Koch, but there will understandably be some reticence to field both against Crawley.
The pair will have been under immense strain, featuring weekly in the league's most high-octane and demanding system. Their bodies are geared for it though, after two years of Bielsa's training methods and regular Murderball, but still an injury risk remains.
It places Bielsa in a vice over whether to field the duo, who no doubt would solidify the defence, or leave them out allowing some of the younger players to fill in.
Of course, with additional under-23s in the starting line-up comes a greater risk of being eliminated from the competition, something Bielsa will hope to avoid.
However, if either of Ayling or Dallas sustains an injury, it could severely worsen the defensive crisis currently on the club's hands.
Dallas has played 99.5% of available minutes for Leeds this season, while Ayling has featured on the pitch 98.7% of the time, however they are not the only two in line for a rest.
Illan Meslier has played every single league minute, although that is not out of the ordinary for a goalkeeper at this stage of the season, meanwhile Patrick Bamford has played 95.4% of available minutes, suggesting he is certainly a candidate for the bench.
Should Bamford succumb to injury, it is likely Leeds would need to enter the transfer market - something they are reluctant to do in January - in order to replace the frontman's goals.
Similarly, Mateusz Klich has featured 92% of the time and was recently substituted against West Brom with a thigh problem.
He completed the subsequent 90 minutes against Tottenham, but Bielsa will be wary of aggravating this niggle in a non-essential fixture.
