Club

MATCH PREVIEW | LEEDS UNITED (A)

The Hatters will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to six games in the Sky Bet Championship when they travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United this evening.

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Town come into the game on the back of a brilliant 1-0 victory against play-off hopefuls Swansea City and will look to cause an upset on the road once more.

Leeds are three points clear at the top of the league after beating Fulham 3-0 on Saturday and are hopeful of a Premier League return for the first time since 2004.

Match passes to watch the game live on iFollow Hatters can be purchased by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.

Nathan Jones said:

(Please note these quotes are from Nathan’s press conference on Monday, which you can now watch for free by clicking HERE)

Coming up against Marcelo Bielsa: “That’s why we firstly wanted to get to this level, to challenge ourselves against those teams. The Championship is a wonderful league because tactically you have to be right at it. Even if you’re well drilled and well organised and talented, you can get punished at Championship level. Coming up against Marcelo, he’s very unique, his sides play totally different to anyone else and they are, for me, the most difficult side to play against in the Championship, so we will have to be on our game tomorrow and with God's will, we will be.

On the importance of the game: “Every game is important. It’s a mini tournament, a mini league, we have to take the points where we can get them, it’s 100 per cent not a free hit, and we’re not looking at it like that in any way, shape or form. We want to build momentum, we want to make sure we’re structurally good, so it’s not about going there tomorrow and having a free hit, absolutely not. And I don’t want the players thinking that. We mentioned that today. It’s a chance to build.

“At the minute, every result is a massive one, because of the magnitude and the importance and the proximity of games, the proximity to the end of the season. Every game is massive now and you can use the same analogies, cup finals and so on, but every single game now is so, so important, so it’s just another opportunity to get more points on the board to reach the tally that we have set.”

On the quality Leeds have: “It’s the toughest test in the league, it has been all season and it was last year. Leeds are the best side in the Championship and I don’t mean that with any disrespect to anyone else, but they don’t change. They come after you, they're relentless, they play a certain way and if you're not at it, then you don’t survive.

“What you have to do is make sure you defend well, work hard and take your chances. If you do that then you’ll have an opportunity.”

Who?

After suffering relegation from the Premier League in 2004 and barring a three-year stint in League One until 2010, Leeds United have been Championship regulars ever since.

The Whites have been champions of England three times, winning the old First Division for the last time in 1992, the season before the Premier League was formed. Prior to that feat, Leeds were Football League Cup winners in 1968 and FA Cup winners in 1972, as well as Champions League semi-finalists in 2001.

When and where?

Kick-off is 7:45pm at Elland Road on Tuesday 30th June.

Man in the middle?

The referee for tomorrow’s game is John Brooks – who took charge of Luton’s 1-1 draw against Preston North End last week. He has refereed a total of 28 games this season, showing 96 yellow cards and one red.

Played before?

The two sides met back in November and Leeds were narrow 2-1 winners in a tight affair at Kenilworth Road.

Overall Leeds hold the superior head-to-head record with 19 wins compared to Town’s 14 and there have been 15 draws between the two sides.

Follow the action

If you are not a season ticket or match ticket holder but you wish to purchase a match pass to watch tonight's game against Leeds on iFollow Hatters, they are now available for £10 by clicking the image below.

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