Leeds United’s weekend opponents head to Elland Road off the back of a difficult midweek away trip.
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Leeds United have the blueprint to take points off Tottenham Hotspur this weekend following the London club’s lengthy midweek European trip.
Daniel Farke’s side will have a full week to rest and recover ahead of Saturday but the same cannot be said for their opponents. Spurs’ trip to Elland Road on Saturday will be their third away-day in a week, with Thomas Frank’s side also having to contend with midweek European competition.
After drawing 1-1 at Wolves last weekend, Spurs flew to Norway on Monday evening for their Champions League game against Bodo/Glimt, which took place on Tuesday. The Premier League side were pinned back by their hosts and fell 2-0 down by the 66th minute, relying on a pair of late goals to draw level at 2-2.
Micky van de Ven pulled one back for Spurs before a late own-goal by Bodo/Glimt substitute Jostein Gundersen levelled the scoreline, with Frank’s side pushed right to the end by their Norwegian hosts. They flew back to London promptly but have little time to recover before heading up to Leeds for their Saturday lunchtime Premier League fixture.
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With more Premier League teams than ever involved in European competition this season, Leeds will hope to take advantage of situations where they’ve had two or three more days to prepare for the weekend. And Spurs on Saturday is their first opportunity to exploit such a situation.
Spurs’ record after midweek football ahead of Leeds United trip
Those quick turnarounds also caused problems for Spurs domestically last season, with their successful Europa League campaign coming alongside a terrible 17th-placed Premier League finish. Under Ange Postecoglou, they played a total of 15 midweek European games and dropped points the following weekend on 12 occasions, beating only Manchester United, Brentford and Southampton.
Under a new manager in Frank, Spurs also dropped points after their first Champions League game of this season, following a 1-0 home win over Villarreal with a 2-2 draw at Brighton. In that game, the Seagulls actually went 2-0 up inside 31 minutes as their visitors started slowly, with the Saturday 3pm kick-off following midweek competition.
To make matters a little harder for Spurs this time round, their Champions League fixture was away from home and on a physically-demanding artificial surface in Norway, with a flight back to London added into the mix. And their weekend fixture has been brought forward a few hours too, with a 12.30pm kick-off at Elland Road on Saturday.
While a team like Spurs should have the necessary depth to rotate if needed, their recent history after midweek European action suggests a fast Leeds start could put them on the back foot this weekend. Farke’s fully-rested squad should be expected to come flying out the blocks in front of their own crowd, as happened against Bournemouth.
The difference will need to come in front of goal, with Leeds’ wastefulness eventually costing them as Farke insisted they created enough chances to win two Premier League games in the first-half alone. An improvement in the final third, coupled with that fast start, could present the chance to take an early lead - although holding onto it will be just as difficult.