Kalvin Phillips' late yellow card in the 3-0 defeat at Tottenham earlier this month means Leeds United will have to make do without one of their most inspirational players when they host Brighton & Hove Albion.
That was the England midfielder's fifth caution of the season as he failed to make it to the 19-match cut-off point after walking a disciplinary tightrope for Leeds' three prior matches.
Pascal Struijk appears to assumed the mantle of Marcelo Bielsa's first-choice replacement for in the Phillips role after loan man Ben White deputised last season, with the Whites boss using the young Dutchman in that role during Saturday's defeat at Crawley Town in the FA Cup.
Much has been written about the importance of Phillips in Bielsa's system, with the Thorp Arch graduate going from a useful midfield option to the beating heart of a Championship winning team during the Argentine's first two seasons in charge.
But just key has he been? And how does Leeds' record with and without Phillips in the starting line-up compare?
Since Bielsa's arrival on these shores, Leeds earn 0.21 less points when Phillips is absence from their side. While that does not represent a huge difference , but what impact does his absence have on other stats?
This is how Leeds shape up with their home grown midfielder in the line-up:
And these figures show how Leeds cope without him in their line-up:
Other that a marginally lower points-per-game tally, we can also see that Leeds score less goals and concede more when Phillips is absent.
Leeds score an average of 1.68 goals with Phillips in their side, compared to 1.56 goals without him.
More galling is the goals conceded, which is understandable considering his role in the team. With Phillips, Leeds concede an average of 1.01 goals-per-game, without him that rises to 1.5 goals-per-game.
This trend was certainly on display during Phillips' most recent absence when he missed three matches with a shoulder injury earlier in the season.
Although Leeds well without the 25-year-old in the excellent 3-0 win at Aston Villa, back-to-back 4-1 defeats to Leicester City and Crystal Palace showed just how important he is.
