Diego Llorente targets specific area of individual improvement and highlights Leeds United confidence for Southampton clash

Llorente started his 13th game in a row in last season's corresponding fixture at St Mary's in May in which the Spaniard played the opening 45 minutes of a 2-0 victory.

Leeds were on their way to a ninth-placed finish as a newly-promoted side but Marcelo Bielsa's Whites sit fifth-bottom after seven games of the new campaign ahead of today's 3pm kick-off at St Mary's.

With last season's Saints clash in mind, Llorente has plenty of respect for today's hosts but says Leeds will arrive with high hopes of bagging their second win of the season, two weeks on from the 1-0 triumph at home to Watford.

"I think that the team always has a good confidence," said Llorente, speaking to BBC Radio Leeds.

"We haven't had good results at the start of the season but I think that the team deserved more points, for example against Newcastle, against West Ham maybe.

"The team put in a good effort and did a good job to get the points.

"Against Watford it was a deserved victory and against Southampton we know it's going to be a difficult game but we know that we have the confidence to get the three points."

Llorente has also highlighted one area of his own game that he is particularly looking to improve - that might well come in handy against the Saints.

"I remember they have good strikers," said United's Spanish international centre-back, recalling May's win on the south coast.

"I remember they had a team with strikers with good speed so we are going to try to do the best and get the three points."

Asked what he was looking to improve individually, Llorente reasoned: "When the team doesn't have the ball, many times the other team is waiting in their half to do a counter attack.

"It is important to be focused when you don't have the ball, for example to anticipate and avoid this counter attack because many many times they play like that, waiting in their half and they are waiting to do a counter attack.

"For me one aspect or example is this, staying focused on the game and be prepared and ready to anticipate or something like that."

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Thank you Laura Collins