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Misfiring Leeds confront their capital hoodoo at in-form Brentford

Credit: Brentford FC

Brentford host Leeds as clear favourites. The Championship form table over the past six games has Brentford top and Leeds in 22nd place.

If Brentford win they will overtake Leeds in the Championship table. Such a thing may have seemed preposterous ten games in to the season when Brentford were 17th and Leeds were, as they have since remained, in the top two.

But defeat for Leeds against Brentford means they will tumble out of the top two – in mid December they were 11 points clear of third. Since their 2-0 win at home against Hull City on December 10th the Whites have won just twice in 10 games, with five defeats. They have only scored in one of their six games in 2020.

For the Bees there are also some, quite literal grounds for optimism. Leeds have not won on a London ground since winning 3-1 at Loftus Road in December 2017. Ten subsequent games in the capital have brought nine defeats.

Team news

For Brentford, Pontus Jansson faces a late fitness test to play again his former team.

Kalvin Phillips returns for Leeds United after a three-match ban, but Tyler Roberts misses out having suffered a kick to the calf.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank is relishing the encounter at a sold-out Griffin Park under lights:

“It’s a big game for various reasons and one of the reasons is it is two of the best football sides in the division and I hope both teams go out there and want to attack and create a top football match – and may the best team win.

“As a football person, I am really looking forward to this game in many, many aspects. But is it going to be decisive for the season? I don’t think so.

“Everyone knows how much I respect Bielsa and his staff and what they have done to Leeds and how they have built them up as a club and a team. I think it is potentially the best team in this division.

“But they couldn’t pick a worse place to play Tuesday night. I am 100 per cent sure that they fear us going into this game.”

Marcelo Bielsa remains positive about Leeds’ recent performances despite a run of poor results:

“The players are doing the same things they used to when we were in good moments. They are good things the players do on the pitch and also mistakes. Before, maybe we didn’t pay consequence for our mistakes in good moments.

“Now we are paying the consequences for the mistakes we are making. After we used to create chances we scored those chances in good moments of the team. And now we have those chances but we’re not scoring.

“Brentford is a team with good attackers, one midfield builds to attack more than defend. One compact defence where everybody is involved to defend and help each other.”