Fulham manager Marco Silva is under no illusions over the size of the task his side will face when they head to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.
The Cottagers are unbeaten in their last six competitions and will travel to Leeds in good heart after they came from a goal down to earn an FA Cup third round win against Championship promotion contenders Middlesbrough last weekend. An unbeaten run of six league games also means Silva’s men are on the fringes of the battle for a top six place and could actually end the weekend as high as fifth in the table if they complete a league double over Leeds and results elsewhere fall in their favour.
However, Leeds have also embarked on an impressive run of form and last weekend’s dramatic 4-3 loss at Newcastle United was the only time Daniel Farke’s side have come out on the wrong end of a result in their last nine games in all competitions and that means they are now sitting eight points clear of the relegation zone.
The Whites will also hope to avenge an agonising defeat they suffered against Saturday’s visitors in the reverse fixture in September as a 94th minute own goal from defender Gabriel Gudmundsson gave Fulham the narrowest of wins at Craven Cottage. However, Cottagers boss Silva saw enough from Leeds during that game to know his side are in for a tough test at Elland Road this weekend.
What has Marco Silva said about Elland Road ahead of Leeds United v Fulham?
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Cottagers head coach said: “It is never easy to play there. They have been very strong at home, achieving results away from home as well. They have the quality, the organisation, the manager, and the individual players.
“To play at Elland Road, we all know what it means. The home support is unbelievable and they make it hard for the opposition. We played against them earlier this season (1-0 win at Craven Cottage) and it was a difficult game for us. It was a moment in the season where they changed their formation as well, and they started to get more solid and get results. I don’t just go in that direction, because even before that I was feeling that the performances were there, and when you perform at a certain level, you’re going to get results.”
What has Daniel Farke said about Leeds United v Fulham?
The Whites boss said: “They are a really good football side, many threats in the offence, lots of vertical play. It is definitely a side who is in contention to fight for the positions in Europe. Perhaps in the beginning of the season they did not have the results they normally would have deserved for their performances, but right now they have translated their performances into impressive results. They are many games unbeaten, wins against the top sides.
“We need to be well-structured in order to take away their football skills and make sure that we don’t allow them to create chances and score goals. On the other hand, we want to make sure that we are a threat in the offence and produce chances and goals like we have done in the last games. We know that we face an in-form team and we have to be at our very best to give ourselves a chance to win the points. Exciting times ahead but there’s no reason not to stay humble. We know that we need to work hard to achieve our goal to stay in this league.”
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