Leeds United promotion rivals given four-fold injury boost ahead of pivotal Championship clash

Southampton boss Russell Martin expects to be able to call on Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Fraser over the Easter weekend after seeing both men overcome injuries. The Saints currently find themselves sitting fourth in the Championship table but with two games in hand, they are far from out of the automatic promotion race.

They have the opportunity to underline that over the coming days as they host play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough before travelling to Portman Road for a promotion showdown with third placed Ipswich Town. It could be a pivotal period for Martin's side then and he will be pleased to have Walker-Peters and Fraser at his disposal.

Walker-Peters has been out since last month after picking up an issue in the loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup, while Fraser suffered a knee injury in the 2-1 defeat to Millwall on February 24.

“Everyone is in a good place," Martin said. "Wee Man (Fraser) and Kyle have looked like they’ve never been away. They are now available for the run-in, which is fantastic."

Martin was also able to reveal that Jan Bednarek and David Brooks have been passed fit to play after struggling in the aftermath of Tuesday's Euro 2024 play-off final between Wales and Poland.

"Janny took a kick in the first game for Poland before the Wales game," he added. "He managed to get through the game as good as he could.

“He also felt a bit of a virus, the same as Brooksy. They have both been assessed yesterday and look reasonably good. We have to make sure we are completely right, but they are both available for tomorrow. They will both be involved."

Southampton's fate is still firmly in their own hands, it's fair to say, with the upcoming clash with Ipswich being followed by trips to face Leicester City and Leeds United later in the season, with the latter trip due to round off the regular campaign.