Leeds United face the second of two tough away games in just a few days at Sunderland and midfielder Jobe Bellingham has spoken out ahead of it.
The meeting at the Stadium of Light has the potential to be one of the best games so far this season with both sides between the top two in the Championship.
Sunderland are currently top of the division, with Leeds three points and three places behind. However, Daniel Farke’s squad will face a real test of their resolve.
Leeds were already without Ethan Ampadu, Max Wober, Manor Solomon, Dan James and Isaac Schmidt in Tuesday’s draw with Norwich City (1:1), and also lost Ilio Gruev in 20 minutes.
With such a short turnaround to go to Sunderland, it would be a bonus if at least one managed to do so.
Bellingham claims Leeds ahead of Sunderland showdown
Under former Leeds boss Regis Le Bris, Sunderland have been one of the surprise packages of the Championship this season.
After limping to mid-table last time out, Sunderland bounced back in impressive style despite losing Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town.
Sunderland have won all four of their home league games under Le Bris, so Leeds’ unbeaten away record will also be put to the test.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo before the game, Bellingham believes Leeds will prove a formidable opponent for the Black Cats and believes Farke’s side are a benchmark for where they want to be.
He said: “It’s going to be another really tough test. Today was a different challenge to what it’s going to be. As we know, Leeds are really, really good opposition, aren’t they? We’ll have to rise to the challenge and see what we can do , and we try to get through it together as a team with fans.
“It’s going to be a big step up against a really good team with really good players who were there last year and that’s what we want to be. So we’re going to have to compete with a team like that and at home is a real advantage.”
Key Stats of Sunderland v Leeds Championship Match
Although Sunderland are ahead of Leeds in terms of league position, wins and of course points, it’s Leeds’ underlying numbers that actually make the better reading for now.
As such, it will be interesting to see what the result will be on Friday and how it will begin to balance out as the season progresses.
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