Thomas Christiansen asked whether Leeds could have Gaetano Berardi and Matthew Pennington back for Birmingham

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Leeds United face Birmingham City on Tuesday night, but could the Whites have Gaetano Berardi and Matthew Pennington back?

Thomas Christiansen hinted to BBC Radio Leeds that Leeds could have Gaetano Berardi back available for their game against Birmingham on Tuesday, and hinted that Matthew Pennington may be a much more unlikely inclusion.

The pair have not featured for the Whites since their opening day win over Bolton after both needed to be taken off due to injury.

However, both defenders returned to training last week. And while they were not ready to play against Burton Albion at the weekend, Christiansen suggested after the 5-0 win that Berardi’s return could potentially be imminent, while the Everton loanee is also not too far away.

“Berardi could come in,” he told BBC Radio Leeds when asked about Berardi and Pennington’s chances of featuring against the Blues.

“Pennington, we will see. He had been training separately, but perhaps he will come in in a few days with the team.”

It will undoubtedly provide Leeds with a boost to have the pair back in contention as the games begin to come thick and fast and injuries start to become a more frequent occurrence.

However, they both arguably face a considerable battle trying to get back into the team with the back four performing so well over the last few weeks.

The last goals that Leeds conceded in the league came during that opening day win against Bolton, meaning Felix Wiedwald has kept five clean sheets in the Championship in a row – but having them back to push the likes of Liam Cooper and Vurnon Anita will certainly boost the Whites’ chances of building on an excellent start to the season.