Daniel Farke was still able to nit-pick Leeds' performance against his former side. (Credit: Imago)
Leeds United are set to host Brentford at Elland Road on Saturday in a big Premier League clash that could have ramifications in both halves of the league table.
Brentford are within touching distance of Champions League football, and a win at Elland Road could push them into the top five conversation in the final stretches of the season.
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However, Leeds have earned just a point in their last three Premier League games and just three points from the relegation zone with eight games left.
Leeds need a result at home this weekend to ease some of the pressure and potentially pull further away from the bottom three in the league table.
Graham Smyth sounds a warning for Leeds United ahead of the Brentford game
The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist insisted that it’s a must-win game for Leeds, given the situation they are in with eight games left in the season.
He pointed out that Leeds fans were getting giddy about the winnable games at home towards the end of the season, and it is not going according to plan.
Smyth stressed that Leeds need to win against Brentford as they cannot afford to have the pressure of needing something from trips to West Ham and Tottenham during the run-in.
He feels that if Leeds do not win a couple of games soon, they are in for a rude shock at the end of the season.
Smyth said on the Inside Elland Road podcast: “It’s a must-win game, is what it is.
“The winnable home games that we were all rubbing our hands at around Christmas time and January, thinking, look at the run-in, look at how pleasant and favourable the run-in is. Well, it’s here, and it hasn’t got off to the greatest of starts, let’s be honest.
“The very winnable games will be here, and then they will be gone, and if you do not come out of those games with a very decent points total, you’re going to be in it right until the end.
“You don’t want to be going to Spurs or West Ham needing points on the last day.
“Leeds have done a good job of maintaining a gap for a while; that gap has now narrowed, and now is the time to win games because if not now, then we are in for the most nerve-racking and potentially disastrous end to the season.”
The Whites are under some pressure
Leeds have been tipped by most pundits to survive in the Premier League because of their home form, except for Michael Owen.
However, they lost their last two home league games, and ahead of the Brentford game, they are under some pressure to get a win at Elland Road.
Premier League Bottom Six – Relegation Battle
The latest Premier League standings show the teams fighting to avoid relegation
Pos Club P W D L GF GA GD Pts
15 Leeds United 30 7 11 12 37 48 -11 32
16 Tottenham Hotspur 30 7 9 14 40 47 -7 30
17 Nottingham Forest 30 7 8 15 28 43 -15 29
18 West Ham United 30 7 8 15 36 55 -19 29
19 Burnley 30 4 8 18 32 58 -26 20
20 Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 3 8 20 24 54 -30 17
Keith Andrews was not exactly happy to see his Brentford side throw away a win at home against Wolves on Monday night and wants a response against Leeds.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s form and Gabriel Gudmundsson’s suspension are a couple of headaches Farke has ahead of the big game on Saturday.
A win this weekend will calm the nerves, but anything less than that could push them further towards the bottom three.