Leeds United host Brentford in the Championship this weekend looking to move clear of their rivals at the top of the table.
Dean Smith has told Brentford’s official website that he has been impressed by Leeds’ start to the season and expressed his excitement about coming up against Marcelo Bielsa’s side due to the style of football that they play.
The Bees travel to Elland Road this weekend in a game that undoubtedly pits two of the most attractive teams in the division against each other.
Leeds top the table after beating Hull City 1-0 on Tuesday night, while Brentford sit sixth despite not winning any of their last four league games. They could move to within one point of the Whites with a win in Yorkshire on Saturday lunchtime. And Smith suggested that he is looking forward to coming up against Bielsa’s men.
“They’ve had a fantastic start to the season under new management and they’re playing a really entertaining brand of football. With us going there, it makes for a really exciting game of football. It’s one that we’re certainly respectful of but not fearing,” he told Brentford’s official website.
“I think they’re the markers at the moment. They’re top of the league, but they’re also joint-top. There’s an awful lot of teams out there who are very tightly bunched together, and I would include us with that as well,” he added when asked if Leeds are the favourites for promotion
Leeds have a decent record against Brentford at Elland Road, having not lost at home to the Bees since 2015 when Alex Pritchard scored the game’s only goal midway through the second-half.
Leeds would love to register their third 1-0 win in a row when facing Smith’s men at home, especially as Saturday’s game will be their first at Elland Road since they were handed their first, and so far only, league defeat of the season. Any victory would virtually guarantee that the Whites stay at the top of the table heading into the international break.
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