'Should have been promoted' - Norwich City man makes honest Leeds United admission ahead of second leg

Norwich City winger Christian Fassnacht insists his side ‘don’t have to hide’ in search of nicking a result in the second-leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at Leeds United this evening.

Leeds hold the advantage of having the deciding leg in front of their own supporters with the semi-final tie finely balanced, having produced a solid performance to draw 0-0 at Carrow Road on Sunday. Daniel Farke’s side edged a tetchy affair and in looking back to their defensively solid best, built confidence.

Norwich manager David Wagner hinted his side may take a more cautious approach come Thursday, admitting that the longer his side can stay in the game the more likely they are to steal a win. But Fassnacht is seemingly hoping for a more front-footed game-plan against a side who, by his own admission, should already have secured top-flight football.

"The Championship is incredibly exciting, attractive – and incomprehensible,” Fassnacht told Blick. “Everyone beats everyone. It is pure football. I enjoy it. The game never stands still. It goes back and forth. Everyone who has seen a game for the first time raves about it because it is extremely attractive.

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"Someone recently told me that for the first time this season, with three or four exceptions, there are only teams in the Championship that have already played in the Premier League. Which is why everyone is ambitious.

"Leeds should have been promoted straight away. But we played very well away from home. [Promotion] would be awesome! It would be the crowning achievement. In 2024, only Leeds and Ipswich have scored more points than us. We don't have to hide.”

The odds do favour Leeds going into this evening’s crucial decider, with Farke’s men strong favourites to book a place at Wembley. Norwich struggled on the road during the regular campaign, with four wins placing them 19th in the Championship away table.

Leeds were unbeaten at Elland Road across almost the entire season but seemed to stumble at the worst possible time, with consecutive home defeats against Blackburn Rovers and Southampton consigning them to play-off football. But Farke will be encouraged to have seen his side keep a clean sheet at Carrow Road and will hope to build on that with the backing of 36,000-plus supporters.