Jesse Marsch addresses Leeds United’s physical disadvantage against ‘intensive’ Newcastle side

But the American believes that the work done during the World Cup break will have prepared his players for this exact scenario.

Saturday's hosts last played on Boxing Day when they took on and beat Leicester City 3-0 away from home, extending their unbeaten league run to 11 games.

Leeds played on December 28, so the time between the Manchester City defeat and the trip to St James' Park will focus mainly on the physical conditioning of Marsch's players.

It'll be about trying to get the players like Jack [Harrison] and Cree [Summerville] and some of the others closer to being really match ready," he said, after the pair were kept on the bench for Wednesday's loss.

"And then recovering the others so that we can go again. We pushed training over the last four weeks so that our fitness levels would be high so we'd be ready for this, so I think we will be. It's obviously not the best situation when the schedule comes out and then they change our match day and then we know we have three days rest and Newcastle has five, and by the way Newcastle and us are the two most intensive teams in the league. We know that then the turnaround is going to be really important and the demand is going to be high for us."

Marsch knows, however, that Newcastle's intensity and their extra rest won't be the only factors making it a difficult final outing of 2022 for Leeds.

Eddie Howe has guided the Magpies to third place in the table, they're just seven points off leaders Arsenal and have won all six of their last Premier League games, beating Chelsea and Spurs along the way.

Howe's rejuvenation of Miguel Almiron has been rewarded with 11 goals in 22 appearances and the Paraguayan is far from Newcastle's only threat.

"A lot of respect for the way that Newcastle plays and the results that they've gotten, the job that the manager has done," said Marsch.

"So we know that we're in for another really tough match at their place come Saturday."