Marcelo Bielsa provides clear Leeds United warning ahead of second Huddersfield Town test

HEAD COACH Marcelo Bielsa says Leeds United will face an improved Huddersfield Town side in their search for a Terriers double in Saturday’s Championship derby at Elland Road.
DIFFICULT: Gjanni Alioski celebrates Leeds United's opener in December's 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town but Marcelo Bielsa felt the Terriers provided a tough test and expects an even sterner assignment at Elland Road. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.DIFFICULT: Gjanni Alioski celebrates Leeds United's opener in December's 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town but Marcelo Bielsa felt the Terriers provided a tough test and expects an even sterner assignment at Elland Road. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.
DIFFICULT: Gjanni Alioski celebrates Leeds United's opener in December's 2-0 win at Huddersfield Town but Marcelo Bielsa felt the Terriers provided a tough test and expects an even sterner assignment at Elland Road. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.

Goals from Gjanni Alioski and Pablo Hernandez gave Bielsa’s Whites a 2-0 triumph at the John Smith’s Stadium back in December in what was Town boss Danny Cowley’s 14th game in charge.

The defeat left the Terriers fourth-bottom and only two points above the dropzone as Huddersfield fell to their third defeat in their last five games - drawing the other two.

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But three months on, Cowley’s side are heading for the return date at Elland Road following back-to-back victories and now up to 17th and four points clear of the relegation zone.

Bielsa is consequently expecting the Terriers to put in an improved showing come Saturday’s contest at Elland Road with the head coach insisting that even December’s win at the John Smith’s was far from straight-forward.

“I remember the previous match was tough. It was difficult,” said Bielsa.

“For us, it was difficult to play well.

“They created chances in this match and we couldn’t make a big difference against that.

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“What I feel is that this team are a better team now than when we played against them the last time.

“I think that before January was a period for them where the new manager was getting to know his team.

“What happened from January so far is more similar to the thought of the new manager and what he wants from the team.”

In Karlan Grant, Huddersfield have the division’s fourth most potent marksman with the 22-year-old already on 16 goals for the season.

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Only Nottingham Forest’s Lewis Grabban (17), Brentford’s Ollie Watkins (22) and Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic (23) have netted more times during the current Championship campaign.

For Huddersfield, Saturday’s 4-0 win at home to Charlton Athletic and the previous weekend’s 2-1 success at home to Bristol City were both achieved with the Terriers setting out in a 4-2-3-1 system with Grant, Benfica loanee Chris Willock and Arsenal loanee Emile Smith Rowe in behind lone striker Fraizer Campbell.

“It’s a creative team,” said Bielsa.

“Midfielders think more in offensive terms than in the recovery of the ball.

“The two wingers and two centre forwards are good players.”

Leeds, though, approach the contest in fine form with four-straight wins providing the perfect response to a previous haul of just ten points out of a possible last 33.

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United saw what was an 11-point cushion in the division’s automatic promotion spots slashed down to just goal difference but second-placed Leeds are now five points ahead of third-placed Fulham.

Third-placed Fulham visit seventh-placed Bristol City in Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off but Bielsa is now only focused on making it five wins out of five.

Assessing his side’s character to put a bad run to bed in style, Bielsa said: “The most important thing from this analysis is to try to win the next match.

“If we analyse more than the next match, it’s not a good idea for us.

“As always, we try to do our best to try to resolve the next match.”

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