The 35th Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco on Sunday. For Leeds United it represents a real opportunity.

Championship sides Sheffield Wednesday (Yan Valery and Sean Fusire) and Hull City (Semi Ajayi) will have to do without key players but with the group stages running into 2026, the biggest bearing is likely to be on this season's Premier League relegation battle as the fixture list reaches its busiest point.

Leeds are one of only six top-flight clubs who will not have players at the tournament, which runs until January 18.

The worst affected will be Sunderland, Manchester United and Fulham, and Leeds are the only team in the bottom seven to play all of them. Nottingham Forest and West Ham United play one each, Fulham do not face the other two.

It is just as well the Black Cats have been able to plump up a big cushion in terms of points to the relegation zone – with twice as many as 18th-placed West Ham United – and confidence.

They have twice as many call-ups as any other team, spared a seventh when Ivory Coast decided they could do without Simon Adingra.

It is quantity as well as quality. Bertrand Traore, Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Reinildo Mandava and Habib Diarra have 52 Premier League starts this season, racking up 4,412 minutes. Midfielder Sadiki has only sat out 26.

Leeds are at the Stadium of Light on December 28, before any can be eliminated. With Burkina Faso, Congo, Morocco, Mozambique and Senegal all represented they should have a fairly hefty presence in the knockout phase too but Brentford, on January 7, are the only other strugglers who can exploit that.

HARDEST HIT: Chemsdine Talbi and Noah Sadiki will be two of six African Sunderland players missing for the December game at home to Leeds United (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

placeholder image — HARDEST HIT: Chemsdine Talbi and Noah Sadiki will be two of six African Sunderland players missing for the December game at home to Leeds United (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Leeds host the Red Devils on January 4, the day after the knockout stages begin.

Ruben Amorim has three players away, all down the right of his team. Cameroon's Bryan Mbuemo is his top-scorer this season from inside-right, and apart from Bruno Fernandes, Ivorian right wing-back Amad Diallo his most creative player. Although Moroccan Noussair Mazraoui is more of a fringe player he can deputies for Diallo or on the right of the back three.

As for Fulham, how good a time it is to play them will depend solely on Nigeria.

All three of their call-ups play for the Super Eagles. Samuel Chukwueze may only have started three league games, compared to Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey's combined 31, but two goals against Manchester City underlined the 26-year-old striker on loan from AC Milan is settling into English football.

QUESTION MARKS: If Nigeria reach the Africa Cup of Nations final, Leeds United will not have to worry about Alex Iwobi or Calvin Bassey when Fulham come to West Yorkshire (Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

If Nigeria make the semi-finals, they will miss the trip to Elland Road. If not, they will have the best part of a week to prepare for the January 17 match.

Burnley, second from bottom, have three players away too, though Hannibal Mejbri would have been suspended anyway for Saturday's trip to Bournemouth and the visit of Everton on 27th after spitting at Leeds supporters at Turf Moor in October. He, Axel Tuanzebe and Lyle Foster have started 23 games between them.

And Bournemouth and Newcastle United (away, December 30) are two opponents without a player at AFCON. Carlos Baleba will be Brighton and Hove Albion’s only absentee when they welcome the Clarets on January 3, albeit a big one.

West Ham have it bad too. Like Brentford and Nottingham Forest, they have two players away, but whilst Frank Onyeka and Willy Boly have not been in a Premier League XI this season, Hammers full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf have 26 starts combined.

KEY PLAYERS: But Leeds United are unlikely to see Bryan Mbeumo (left) or Amad Diallo (right) when Manchester United visit in the new year (Image: Zohaib Alam - MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Manchester City, their opponents on Saturday, have two absentees, but Egyptian Omar Marmoush's only club goal this season came in the League Cup, his last Premier League start in August.

Algerian Rayan Ait-Nouri has not been the player City hoped they were signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers, with two 89th-minute cameos his only league run-outs since August. If first-choice left-back Nico O'Reilly stays fit they are highly unlikely to notice the difference.

West Ham play Fulham (home December 27), Wolves (away, January 3) and Forest (home, January 6) during the tournament – three games it is vital to make the most of.

In fairness, Brentford's Dango Outtatra and Forest's Ibrahim Sangare both showed against Leeds this season what good wingers they are.

Ismaïla Sarr will be preparing for Senegal's Tuesday game against Botswana when Crystal Palace are at Elland Road on Saturday and no matter what the future holds for Mohamed Salah and Liverpool, Leeds need not fear an angry Egyptian at Anfield on New Year's Day.

Newcastle are the only team Leeds will play during the tournament who will definitely not have any players there – provided they have not signed any by January 7. It would be rude of Leeds not to show their appreciation for the kindness of the fixture list.