Marcelo Bielsa pays glowing tribute to Leeds United's unique fans as Whites supporters finally return to Elland Road in full

Leeds have not played in front of a capacity home crowd since March 2020 due to nearly 18 months of restrictions in the country's fight against coronavirus.

But Elland Road will finally be full for Saturday afternoon's Premier League clash against Everton, for which around 35,000 spectators will see Marcelo Bielsa' s Whites lock horns with the Toffees.

A portion of United's supporters were able to grace the stands of their famous home for last season's final game of the campaign against West Brom in May, for which a gate of 8,000 saw Bielsa's side record a 3-1 victory.

Three months later, crowds will finally return to the ground in full and Bielsa says his players will savour an experience unlike any other in front of the club's passionate fans.

"The Premier League without fans and with fans is not the same," said Bielsa.

"And the fans of Leeds are not the same as the majority of the other teams in the league, not only because it is the club that we belong to but because of how generous and present they are in every game.

"So to live this experience is unique."

Leeds took 3,000 fans to last weekend's Premier League opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford which was watched by a bumper attendance of 72,732.

Bielsa's Whites were blitzed 5-1 and now face an Everton side who recorded a 3-1 victory at home to Southampton over the opening weekend in what was a first competitive game in charge of the Toffees for Rafa Benitez.

"Sincerely, I can't remember if we have come up against each other," said Bielsa of Benitez.

"Both of us have been in this profession for a long time. What has made him successful is he puts together a very compact team, difficult to beat and he always manages to get the maximum possible out of the players he manages.

"There hasn't been complete changes with regards to the players. The players are basically the same ones apart from the two wide players that they brought in. And the changes that I expect are those that I expect with Benitez that his teams are efficient, strong and hard to beat."

Asked about the return of fans in full potentially creating a swing in the number of home wins, Bielsa reasoned: "There's some data that without the public, the home side wins less. The statistics confirm this.

"With me in particular, the absence of fans permitted greater communication between the players and technical staff.

"But the effect of the crowd when we play away, I don't consider it a determining factor with regards to our performances.

"The effect that it has for our opponents - I can't measure that."

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Thank you Laura Collins