Marcelo Bielsa sees no 'additional difficulty' to Leeds United winning in London ahead of QPR test

LONDON WOES: Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa at his side's 2-1 defeat at Fulham in December. The Whites have gone nine games without winning in the capital. Photo by Tony Johnson.

Leeds are back on the road to London this weekend for Saturday lunch-time's Championship clash at Queens Park Rangers with the Whites looking to end a horrible run in The Big Smoke.

United have lost eight of their last nine fixtures in the capital with Leeds having not won in London since their 3-1 victory at this weekend’s hosts QPR under Thomas Christiansen in December 2017.

Since then, the Whites have taken just a solitary draw in the city through a 1-1 draw at Millwall under Bielsa in September 2018.

QPR have beaten the Whites in both the league and FA Cup since United’s 2017 win at Loftus Road with Leeds also suffering two Championship losses at Fulham plus defeats at Brentford, Millwall and Charlton Athletic and most recently a 1-0 loss in the FA Cup third round at Arsenal.

Bielsa, though, is reading nothing into United's recent record in the capital with the Whites head coach insisting there should be no "additional difficulty" to winning in London as opposed to other cities.

“It’s not about a geographic matter,” said Bielsa

“Every time, every match, every opponent and every analysis is different.

“To say that we don’t win ever in London is to think that if we played the same opponent in Birmingham we would win.

"They are questions that are very different to interpret. What’s in London? An additional difficulty? I ignore this."

Leeds approach Saturday’s clash against Mark Warburton’s 15th-placed Rs sat second and with a six-point cushion in the division’s automatic promotion places yet with just one win from their last six league games.

Brentford are leading the chase in third having won three games in a row though fifth-placed Nottingham Forest would cut the gap to Leeds to five points if winning their game in hand at home to Reading on Wednesday night.

United, though, are still only one point behind Championship leaders West Brom.

“Every team in one long competition as this one has ups and downs,” said Bielsa.

“If you analyse what happened with West Brom and Leeds, top of the table and second in the table, you are going to see being regular in one competition of 46 matches is not possible.”

Fulham - who sit fourth - could move third and close the gap to Leeds to four points but having played one game more if beating Friday night's opponents Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage.