Marcelo Bielsa does not have a preference to who Leeds United face in the upcoming play-offs.
Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa confirmed United will miss out on automatic promotion, although Sheffield United’s win over Ipswich Town the night before had all but guaranteed it due to the difference in goal difference.
A point against bottom-placed Ipswich on Sunday will confirm the Whites will play against the sixth-placed team, with Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion set to play out a local derby in the other semi-final.
Should Bielsa’s men suffer a shock defeat at Portman Road, they could still drop down to fourth and set up a two-legged replay against Villa.
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Derby County missed the chance to book their place as they slipped up against Swansea City in midweek, only drawing 1-1 after taking an early lead.
They will likely need a win in their final game against West Brom on Sunday. Middlesbrough, who play relegated Rotherham United, could leapfrog them if they win.
Bristol City, meanwhile, have an outside chance of sneaking in if Derby lose and Middlesbrough fail to win.
When asked about his preferences, the Whites boss joked about the availability of his players, with his first three choices at left-back all sidelined.
“Ah. As we have so few players left, I thought you were talking about players!” Bielsa said. “So sadly, we don’t have that many options! I was about to ask for your help.”
“Because maybe you see is a possibility for a player that I don't see!”
When pushed on his opinion of the potential play-off opponents, he remained candid, answering in his usual thoughtful style.
“We can't tell because we don't know the other teams yet,” he said. “And it's difficult to anticipate a diagnosis about who is the strongest team and who is the weakest team because in football you can't draw conclusions beforehand.”
He added: “No I don’t have any preference for the play-offs.”
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