'A month into our journey' - Leeds United defender Luke Ayling sizes up bid to match 'special' Wolves feat

Two and a half years have passed since Leeds and Wolves last met in a league game with goals from Romain Saiss, Willy Boly and Benik Afobe giving the West Midlands side a 3-0 victory at Elland Road in the Championship fixture of March 2018 en route to being promoted as champions.

United were also beaten 4-1 at Molineux in the reverse fixture back in November 2017 with now Whites winger Helder Costa among the scorers in addition to Ivan Cavaleiro, Diogo Jota and Barry Douglas who himself only left the Whites on Friday to join Blackburn Rovers.

Leeds ended the 2017-18 Championship campaign in 13th place under Paul Heckingbottom who had replaced former head coach Thomas Christiansen but over two years later United and Wolves will lock horns as Premier League sides in Monday night's clash at Elland Road.

Under boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves have made a huge impression in their first two seasons back in the country's top flight in finishing seventh in both of the last two campaigns.

Marcelo Bielsa's Whites are threatening to do likewise with Leeds having already amassed seven points from their first four games.

Times have changed with the gap clearly narrowed since the teams last met in 2018 but Ayling has paid tribute to Wolves' success as a top-flight side and says his side are now trying to follow the Molineux outfit's example but are blessed with having time on their side.

Asked if he felt the two squads were now on a par, Ayling told BBC Radio Leeds: "I would probably still say if you look at their squad and what they have done over the last two years it's pretty special.

"They have come up from the Championship and stuck to their style of play, the same thing that we are trying to do here.

"We had a way of playing in the Championship and we are trying to stick to it and it worked for us.

"They have done unbelievable, I think they have finished top eight in the both seasons they have been back in the league.

"They are full of international players from front to back so they have got a very good squad.

"Us boys are trying to get to that level and we are only a month into our journey and they are two years into their journey so we are trying to get to that level."

Wolves have had an inconsistent start to the new campaign with a 2-0 win at Sheffield United on the opening weekend followed by a 3-1 defeat at home to Manchester City and then 4-0 hammering at West Ham.

Monday night's visitors then signed off for the October international break with a 1-0 win at home to Fulham whom Leeds recorded their first success back in the top flight against with a 4-3 victory at Elland Road in their second game of the campaign.

The Cottagers success followed an opening day thriller at champions Liverpool which ended in a 4-3 reverse and the Fulham victory was followed by a 1-0 win at Sheffield United and 1-1 draw in another pulsating clash at home to Manchester City.

Leeds are seen as marginal favourites to now record a third victory of the new season but Ayling says he takes little notice of the odds.

"I never really look at that side of it," said Ayling, asked if he could be surprised to learn that Leeds were favourites.

"I don't really look at that myself, I don't know what the odds would be or anything.

"But us boys know that we are going into a very hard game against a very good team who have got players that can hurt you so we won't be taking anything lightly.

"It's a very hard game, they have got a style of play that we have not played against in a while so it's going to be a new thing for us as well so it should be a very good game of football.

"I think it's two teams that will want to win the game and it should be a good game."

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Thank you Laura Collins