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AHEAD of Saturday's crunch 3pm kick-off at Elland Road, the YEP's Lee Sobot takes a look at some of the likely key features of the Championship clash between Leeds United and Fulham.

Seven points separate the two sides with eight games remaining after both teams fell to defeats over the first weekend back following the 15-week pause to the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Date: Saturday

Time: 3pm

PAYBACK TIME? Fulham's Tom Cairney chases Leeds United's Pablo Hernandez in December's clash at Craven Cottage, shortly before Hernandez pulled up injured in a game the Cottagers recorded a 2-1 victory in. Picture by Tony Johnson.

Competition: Sky Bet Championship

Venue: Elland Road

Odds (best available): Leeds win - 13-17

Draw - 3-1

Fulham win - 4-1

LAST TIME AT ELLAND ROAD

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Championship

Leeds United 0 Fulham 0

KEY BATTLE

Mateusz Klich v Tom Cairney

Whites Academy graduate Cairney was released by Leeds as a 16-year-old with Cairney told he was too small. Thirteen years later, the six-foot Cottagers ace takes high rank in terms of best midfielders in the division. Cairney - who has eight goals and three assists this term - also has a knack of thriving in games against United and will now come up against United's Polish international centre midfielder Mateusz Klich who is on four goals and four assists for the current campaign. Klich will take in his 100th appearance in a Whites shirt against Fulham and this would be the perfect occasion for Klich to to be scoring goals.

FULHAM KEY MAN

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham shelled out £22m rising to £27m to land Mitrovic from Newcastle United in the summer of 2018 and the Serbian international striker has not surprisingly netted goals for fun in the Championship after sticking around despite the club's relegation from the Premier League. Six-foot-two Mitrovic is the division's top scorer with 23 goals and it will be imperative that Whites centre-backs Liam Cooper and Ben White keep him quiet.

LEE SOBOT'S VERDICT

An automatic promotion crunch clash - second versus third and a true six pointer. A Whites win would see Leeds boot ten points clear of the Cottagers but victory for Scott Parker's side would slash the gap to four points with seven games left whereas a draw keeps the margin at seven. A massive, massive game, especially with both sides losing their first games back and United owe Fulham one after their 2-1 loss at Craven Cottage four days before Christmas in which United lost Pablo Hernandez to injury in the third minute. Ironically, Hernandez is now set to return from a fresh setback for this weekend's clash and that might tilt the scales in Leeds' favour.

Leeds United v Fulham: Big Match Preview - Key Battle, Key Man and YEP Verdict