MX23RW : Friday, November 8 08:53:00| >> :120:8629:8629:

Marcelo Bielsa not paying attention to Newcastle's troubles

Leeds are bidding to avoid a fourth-straight defeat after two league losses have sandwiched their humbling FA Cup exit at the hands of Crawley.

Marcelo Bielsa says he is focusing on his own side's problems and not Newcastle's before Tuesday night's Premier League game at St James' Park.

Leeds are bidding to avoid a fourth-straight defeat after two league losses have sandwiched their humbling FA Cup exit at the hands of Crawley.

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce is under increasing pressure, with some fans calling for him to be sacked after his side have taken just two points from their last eight league matches.

"We analyse the difficulties of the opponent, but of course we worry more about our own difficulties and our difficulties are just as present as theirs," Bielsa said.

"We're not focused on the opponent's bad run of form, we're focused on our own game and trying to improve our own form.

"In no way do we feel that Newcastle's poor run of form will help us regain ours. It's not a rival's poor run of form that will help us improve, we have to improve on our own."

Defeats at Tottenham and at home to Brighton have left Leeds 12th in the table.

But they are 11 points above the bottom three – four ahead of Newcastle – and Bielsa again dismissed the idea that their recent blip is due to fatigue.

"The physical performance (data) of Leeds United is available to those who would like to look at them," Bielsa said.

"Before every game Leeds' physical values are always superior to the opponents and after every game Leeds' physical performance still remains better than all the opponents without exception.

"To verify, throughout the length of the season, whether it's true that my teams run less or become tired is information that is incorrect.

"Anyone who has an opinion on this aspect can look and see that they are wrong."

Goalkeeper Illan Meslier could return to action after missing two matches through illness, while Leeds will also be boosted by the return from suspension of midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Bielsa said defender Gaetano Berardi is closing in on a return to training after being sidelined since July with cruciate ligament damage.

Midfielder Adam Forshaw, who has been out since September 2019 with a chronic hip problem, could be back in action "in the not-to-distant future", Bielsa added.

ID:432056: cacheID:432056:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3994:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Patrick Bamford scores a disallowed goal for Leeds against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on November 7, 2020
Read Next:
Bamford donates £5,000 to Leeds primary school to assist remote learning
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland149322391430
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd149321871128
3Leeds UnitedLeeds147522291326
4Burnley146621761124
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom14572148622
6Millwall146441712522
7Watford147162222022
8Middlesbrough146351816221
9Swansea CitySwansea14545119219
10Blackburn RoversBlackburn145451616019
11Bristol City144731819-119
12Norwich CityNorwich144642320318
13Derby CountyDerby145361818018
14Stoke CityStoke145361718-118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds145361724-718
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd144551717017
17Coventry CityCoventry144371819-115
18Hull City143651518-315
19Luton TownLuton144371621-515
20Preston North EndPreston143651420-615
21Cardiff CityCardiff144371320-715
22Plymouth ArgylePlymouth144371425-1115
23Queens Park RangersQPR141761223-1110
24Portsmouth141671327-149


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!