'It’s a factor' - Dean Smith reveals Norwich City plan to silence Leeds United Elland Road roar

The visit of the Canaries has taken on enormous significance for the Whites due to their six-game losing streak and the manner in which they lost to Aston Villa on Thursday night.

Leeds' new head coach Jesse Marsch said he saw fear in the way his side played against Villa and felt the atmosphere added stress, because the players want to deliver so badly.

Smith believes his side will have somewhat of a psychological advantage because their survival chances have been long dismissed by commentators.

“I think nobody will probably be mentioning Norwich because everybody has us relegated – or had us relegated in September," he said.

"So we can go and play with a little bit more freedom and that’s what I want from the players. I thought last night [against Chelsea] in the first half, we looked a little bit like the whole situation was hanging on the players when that first goal went in and it felt like the world was against us again. I felt there was a freedom we played with in the second half and that’s a freedom we have to take into the games now.”

Smith credited his old adversary Marcelo Bielsa for improving the players Marsch has at his disposal, players who will make life difficult for Norwich at Elland Road, but his hope is that Leeds' ailing confidence will take another hammer blow.

“Leeds’ physical stats are there to see for everybody, massive respect for what Bielsa did with that club and that team, those players, they’ve all improved," said Smith.

“It’s going to be a tough game but they are on a losing run, confidence is such a big thing in football. We’ve spoken again to the players about set-pieces and how we can’t be giving soft goals away. Their crowd will be right behind them from the start of the game and it’s our job to keep them as quiet as we can.”

Smith's old club Villa managed just that on Thursday night, scoring two second half goals that flattened Leeds and the atmosphere, with many home fans heading for the exits long before full-time. The crowd also turned on the directors' box and chanted Marcelo Bielsa's name.

The crowd could play a part in Sunday's game so Smith wants to take them out of the equation.

“It’s a factor, their support is fantastic and it’s a really tough place to go but we have to silence them as much as we can," he said.

“We can do that by keeping the ball, by playing in their half and by taking advantage of set-pieces as well. The players will be following a game plan and it has to be about us going forward and what we can do, how we can hurt the opposition.”