THOMAS FRANK says Leeds are trembling with fear ahead of their crunch clash at Griffin Park tonight.
Brentford sit just two points behind the second-placed Whites, whose automatic promotion push has fallen apart yet again.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank is adamant that Leeds are fearful of the Bees ahead of their promotion six-pointer
Rampant Leeds topped the table and were 11 points clear of third just ten games ago.
But boss Marcelo Bielsa’s side have lost four of their last six in the league, as their form fell off a cliff at the business end of the season.
Frank said: “I think Leeds are potentially the best team in this division, if you look at every statistic they are bang up there.
“But there’s no doubt they couldn’t have picked a worse place to play.
“I’m 100 per cent sure they fear us going into this game, that’s not to say we’re going to win it. Because momentum is one thing, history is one thing — but then you go into the game and it has its own life.
“We don’t know exactly what to expect, yet I promise you one thing, we will absolutely be at it and ready to attack.”
And Danish manager Frank, 46, believes the home fans could play a vital role for the Bees.
Our front three are on a good run — and are better than the front three they have.
Thomas Frank on his BMW attack
He said: “Griffin Park is an extremely difficult place to go.
“It is an intimate stadium, very hostile, very close to the fans, that influences how teams play here.”
Frank also hailed his lethal BMW horsepower of Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins as having an edge over Bielsa and his misfiring forwards.
They have drawn a blank in five of their last six matches. Frank said: “Leeds create a lot of chances, maybe the most in this division.
“But our front three are on a good run — and are better than the front three they have. It’s a very even game but it could produce a lot of turnovers and that’s where we are very, very dangerous.”
Despite limited resources, the Bees have defied the odds with some clever transfers and a focus on youth.
And Frank believes his side’s steady progression since being promoted from League One six seasons ago has left little pressure on the players’ shoulders.
While Bielsa’s men are being crushed by the weight of expectation from their fans — after being out of the top flight since 2004.
Frank said: “It will be a massive blow to Leeds if they don’t go up this year. That’s not to put pressure on them — it’s just the truth.
“Pressure. How do you define it? Some players just grow bigger, they love it. But some players crumble. Leeds dream to be back where they think that they belong.”
Bielsa’s game of chance
By ROSS GREGORY
MARCELO BIELSA has admitted his team are paying the price for not converting their chances.
Leeds have lost their 11-point cushion in the race for automatic promotion.
They remain second in the Championship after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, but have now lost five of their last ten matches.
Leeds will be boosted by midfielder Kalvin Phillips’ return from a three-game ban for tonight’s vital trip to fifth-placed Brentford. Argentine boss Bielsa said: “The players are doing the same things they used to do when we have been in a good moment.
“There are good things the players are doing on the pitch and also mistakes.
“Before, maybe we didn’t pay consequences for the mistakes, now we are.
“We used to create chances and score, now we have those chances and are not scoring.”
Despite their bad run, Bielsa insisted his players’ confidence is unaffected. He added: “It’s just about scoring the chances.
“The team is not playing worse than before. The team is not running less, it’s running even more and keeps the same confidence as before.
“It’s not useful to give more explanations because the results speak for themselves and the results are bad.”
Tyler Roberts is definitely out tonight with a calf injury.
It is uncertain whether striker Jean-Kevin Augustin, signed on loan from RB Leipzig, will be involved as he is struggling for fitness.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
