'No doubts and no excuses' - Rodrigo issues Leeds United vow and fan plea for Aston Villa clash

The Spanish international says the players will deliver their best with 'no doubts and no excuses' but they need the power of the home support.

Leeds have lost five on the bounce going into the game and are riding a seven-game winless streak, yet the mood around the club is still tinged with positivity thanks to the performance at Leicester City on Saturday. Jesse Marsch's first game in charge saw the Whites put up a much more solid defensive effort and they created enough chances to deserve much more than the 1-0 defeat they left the King Power Stadium with.

Rodrigo played in a front four, alongside Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Daniel James, and each man had at least one opportunity to put Leeds in front during the game.

Marsch has revealed that Patrick Bamford is fit enough to play some part at Elland Road on Thursday night but he will not start, making it likely that the head coach sticks with Rodrigo and the other trio of attackers who featured against the Foxes.

With a little over 24 hours to go before kick-off, Rodrigo has taken to Instagram to make a promise to fans and ask for their continued backing. The atmosphere at Elland Road has been one of the only consistent positives of a difficult campaign for Leeds and only once have the home crowd turned on a performance - the 4-0 drubbing by Spurs that heralded Marcelo Bielsa's departure.

At Leicester on Saturday fans sang Bielsa's name, as well as that of their new head coach, and a special atmosphere is expected for the Villa game.

"The legend of Leeds United Football Club in almost 103 years of history is the sum of hundreds of players and dozens of managers, but where lies our greatness is in the power of our fans and the city that we proudly represent in a football pitch," he wrote.

"This is our responsibility. We always have you in mind and we will deliver our best. No doubts and no excuses. We need Elland Road."

Rodrigo has endured a challenging time since his club-record move from Valencia in the summer of 2020, with injuries, Covid-19 and patchy form preventing him from building much in the way of momentum.

With 11 huge games left in the season and just a two-point cushion between Leeds and the drop zone, the visit of Villa and Sunday's home game against Norwich City have taken on real significance and present the Spanish striker and his team-mates with opportunities for heroism.