‘You need a couple of days off’: 26-year-old says facing Leeds is so hard

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John McGinn seems to be very aware of what kind of test awaits Aston Villa in tomorrow’s clash with Leeds United.

Both sides renew hostilities at Villa Park tomorrow night.

Leeds and Aston Villa have developed a bit of rivalry during their year in the Championship together – the 2018-19 campaign.

Much of it stems from a chaotic game at Elland Road 18 months ago when Marcelo Bielsa’s side opened the scoring after the Villa players stopped competing due to a foul.

There will be no fans in attendance tomorrow, but there will be lots of full-blooded efforts from both sets of players – and McGinn is expecting a tireless performance from the visitors.

The Scotland international, who started home and away against Bielsa’s ultra-fit Leeds side that season, said to Aston Villa’s official website: “I think I speak for most Premier League teams when I say that Leeds is one of the most difficult fixtures on the calendar. You need a couple of days off after you’ve played them, but hopefully they’ll be tired from their game against Wolves.”

This is a Leeds team that have stood toe to toe with Liverpool and Manchester City this season and produced fearless performances against both.

Then again, Dean Smith’s side beat the Reds 7-2 in the West Midlands before the international break.

So as much as Villa should expect to run their backsides off to keep up with Leeds, the visitors will have problems of their own to contend with.