A few weeks ago these two teams were in completely contrasting form.
Leeds United were riding high in the top flight whilst Tottenham were rock-bottom and their fans were wondering where their next win would come from.
Since then, the Whites’ form has dipped with no win in their last five. Contrast that with Spurs, who head to Elland Road off the back of three straight victories (four unbeaten in total) and it makes for a fascinating encounter in the Saturday lunchtime slot.
For Leeds boss Daniel Farke, he isn’t getting twitchy despite their below-par returns of late.
Speaking to the media ahead of the fixture – the last before another international break – the German said: “I’m not nervous at all, we’re always playing to win. We’re even more desperate after a period without (one), but the price of doing well is that expectations rise.
“We’ve won some of the most points over the past 12 months and we’re difficult to beat.
“We knew in a long season there would be a run where it’s difficult to translate good performances into wins. It’s clear that our goal is to win 40 points as quickly as possible. We know where we are and what we have to do. We’re all quite calm and confident about it.”
As for Spurs, they’d love the chance to go into the break off the back of a morale-boosting win in the cauldron of Elland Road.
Roberto de Zerbi, speaking ahead of this game, said: “We want to complete this step of the season in the best way we can. We are playing well. We are making points in a row but, like I said after the last game (v Crystal Palace), we can’t forget the beginning of the season and last season as well.”
On the challenge Leeds will pose, the Italian said: “The intensity of Leeds, especially at home, is great. The qualities of the players, they have a clear style of play.
“Not too many teams in the world defend in five and in build-up they become four. Especially on the right side, they have very good connections. They have maybe the best striker in the air, but also Tottenham have the right qualities to play a good game. Our target is to play well and get a good result tomorrow.”
