Leeds United
Leeds United will have another huge task ahead of them after their FA Cup triumph this past weekend. The Whites managed to dispatch Birmingham City on their way to the fifth round of the competition.
After their last two results in the Premier League, there is a lot of confidence around Elland Road. Beating relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, and getting a draw against Chelsea now has Leeds in 15th place on the table with 12 games to go.
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Up next for the Whites is a trip to Villa Park to face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side. It is yet another away game at one of the top clubs in the league for Daniel Farke’s men
Aston Villa handed a huge boost ahead of Leeds United game
Coming back from 2-0 down to get a draw at Stamford Bridge will however bring a lot of confidence ahead of this trip. Aston Villa are one of the best teams at home in the Premier League this season – they have won nine of their 13 games at Villa Park. Their 28 points won there only trails behind both Manchester City and Arsenal who have won 32 points at home.
Leeds on the other hand, are still one of the worst away teams in the league despite picking up points in their last two away games at Everton and Chelsea. Unai Emery will be pleased that his side will have Matty Cash available for this weekend. The right back has not played since the start of February, but will reportedly be fit enough to feature on Saturday.
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Chelsea game can offer perfect blueprint
Daniel Farke made the error of going a bit too defensive in the game against Chelsea last time out; starting six defenders with just one natural attacking player up top saw the team suffocated in possession and camped in their half for most of the game. It was when Noah Okafor came on that the team were able to get up the pitch.
This will be a huge learning point for Farke ahead of Saturday; he can balance a conservative approach while starting someone like Okafor who can stretch teams on the counter attack. Villa are not the best defensive side, so Leeds will get their chances if they decide how to attack during the game. Defensively, the Whites must be spot on throughout the 90 minutes at Villa Park. If they do, they stand a chance of picking up another huge result on the road.