“We know what is going to happen, and we have a squad of 25 players,” Vieira said in his pre-match press conference when asked about the rigorous demands of the coming month. “Obviously if I’m waiting until that period to get some players ready, it would be really difficult.
“This is something we have planned since the first game of the season. We always said that everybody would have an important part to play, and those games will give opportunities to some of the players to play games and to show their quality.
“That’s what I will expect from those players, because they have been training really well. The only things they are expecting is to play games, because that is what players want. They will have the opportunity, and they will have to take those chances.”
It came as Vieira confirmed that Joachim Andersen would miss the trip, but Eberechi Eze was once again ready to play.
“[Andersen] is not going to travel with the team,” he explained. “He is still not 100 percent. We have to evaluate the injury every day and to see how he is feeling, but for the game tomorrow it will be too short [a turnaround].
“[Eze] will travel to Leeds. I think it’s good for him, it’s good for the club, and it’s good for the fans as well. He needs to play games. He needs time to get to his best, and we will give him the support that he needs.”
After the Aston Villa result last weekend, Vieira says the tight turnaround can be a good thing as his side look to bounce back.
“I think when you play a game that you didn’t perform to your best, you always want to play straight away,” he said. “You want to bounce back, and you want to play better. That’s why the game comes at the right time.
“We want to perform because we were disappointed with the way we played against Aston Villa. The momentum is important, and the rotation of the players will be really important. We’re going through a period where there is a lot of games, so we need to find the right balance for the players to perform and the team to perform.”