Daniel Farke and Leeds United need at least a point from their game against Chelsea on Wednesday, but acquiring that is not going to be easy.
Chelsea are one of the form teams in England right now, drawing 1-1 with Arsenal after their 3-0 victory over Barcelona.
Reece James and his teammates were sensational against Arsenal, not capitulating after going a man down.
Why do Chelsea and Leeds hate each other so much?
A rivalry which started in the 1960s, the biggest flashpoint came in the 1970 FA Cup final
Their form is not the only reason why Farke will be worried about Wednesday’s match, though.
Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea celebrates scoring
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Daniel Farke’s poor record against Chelsea
Farke is yet to beat Chelsea in six attempts, losing five of those games and drawing one of them, as per Transfermarkt.
To make matters worse, one of those defeats includes a 7-0 hammering at Stamford Bridge during the German’s time as Norwich City manager.
Chelsea’s team looks a lot different compared to then, but it has just as much quality, perhaps even more.
Chelsea will not have Moises Caicedo for the trip to Elland Road following his red card on Sunday, while Enzo Maresca could leave Reece James on the bench. But the Blues will still have a very strong team thanks to the likes of Estevao Willian and Cole Palmer.
Palmer is available for selection again and made the bench for the draw with Arsenal. He is one individual Farke will be hoping not to see this week.
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Daniel Farke the head coach of Leeds United reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Leeds United
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Chelsea could play key role in Daniel Farke sacking
With Farke’s job on the line, now certainly is a terrible time for Leeds to be taking on their rivals.
According to The Guardian, defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool could see the 49-year-old removed from the Elland Road dugout.
Maresca does not have time to be feeling sorry for his counterpart, though. Chelsea are still only six points behind first place following their draw with Arsenal.
They need to beat Leeds and keep on Arsenal’s trail. If Chelsea get to January and are still close to the Gunners, the Blues can start to think about the title race, if they are not already.