Stoke City manager makes title-winning Leeds United comparison amid 'financial clout' comments

Farke clinched two Championship titles during his four-year stay in Norfolk and has his sights set firmly on promotion back to the Premier League. The Whites still have 34 matches to play until the campaign comes to a close, in what could prove to be a marathon of a season, with next opponent Stoke prepared to host United at the Bet365 Stadium tonight.

Potters boss Alex Neil has been speaking ahead of the fixture, complimenting the in-form Whites and his opposite number by suggesting Leeds are playing in a similar vein to Farke’s two promoted Norwich sides from 2019 and 2021.

"It's going to be a really tough when you take on any of the teams who have come down from the Premier League,” he said. “They’ve retained some Premier League players and they've got obviously the financial clout which comes with having been in the top flight to strengthen the squad as they see fit to try to win the Championship or certainly get out of the Championship.

“They're always hard to compete with that first year. When they come down that's arguably when they should always be the strongest in this division. I think now they're starting to have a little bit of rhythm.”

Leeds have lost just one of their last ten league fixtures and are currently on a three-match winning streak having seen of Queens Park Rangers, Bristol City and Norwich in recent weeks.

“Leeds have probably had a little bit more churn than other teams, certainly when you look at Leicester,” Neil added. “They had a few more things that changed on and off the pitch. But Daniel Farke knows the division really well and I think his team at the moment is arguably, from what I've seen, as strong as his teams that we saw at Norwich,” the Scottish coach said in his pre-match press conference.

Farke is hopeful of three points in the Potteries but knows there is no guarantee of a result, despite going unbeaten in five of his six encounters against Neil during his time at Carrow Road.

"A good record is never a guarantee that the next game will be successful,” Farke said on Tuesday. “I'm quite sure that under Alex’s leadership, they will finish in a in a much better position and for that we are very respectful. We don't travel in fear. We also know that we are in good shape and want to win the points but we have to be at our best in order to give ourselves a chance.”