Leeds will take to the air in the hope of flying high against League One leaders Swansea City on Saturday.

United have booked a flight to Bristol airport before driving into South Wales for the six-pointer against their promotion rivals.

Manager Dennis Wise is determined that his players should be well prepared for the task, despite the shortage of time.

United briefly topped the table after their 1-1 draw at Hartlepool on Boxing Day but Swansea's subsequent 4-1 win against Cheltenham and Nottingham Forest's goalless draw at Oldham sent Wise's men back into third place.

"We will probably play better against Swansea than we have in our last couple of games," said Wise.

"This is a top-of-the-table match, which will suit us. There will be a big crowd, it's a huge game for both clubs and hopefully we will come away with the right result."

The Leeds players were given the day off today but they begin preparing for the Swansea match tomorrow, with particular attention given to defending set-pieces.

There could be a place in the starting line-up for midfielder Alan Thompson, who improved matters at Hartlepool when he replaced Rodostin Kishishev during the second half.

Thompson collected his fifth yellow card of the season after leaving the bench and misses the home game against Northampton on Saturday, January 5 through suspension.

Wise, who has no new injuries to contend with after the game at Hartlepool, said: "I was tempted to play Alan from the start on Boxing Day.

"But the game against Bristol Rovers was his first start for a long time and I didn't want to push him too hard too soon and risk losing him again injured. When he came on he calmed things down."

Midfielder Jonathan Douglas, who injured his knee in the 1-1 draw at Walsall on December 15, has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Wise said: "If he returns any sooner it will be a big plus because he means so much to us."

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