Why Newcastle will play into Leeds United's hands as defender holds Whites result key
Leeds United should respect, but not fear the visit of Newcastle United.
The Magpies travel to Elland Road for a Monday night clash in the Premier League.
Matthias Jaissle is loving life as Toon's new boss, winning three and drawing two from his opening five games in charge.
As a result, Newcastle will be full of confidence that they can extend Leeds' three-game winless run to four.
However, there are some underlying numbers from their start to the new campaign which will give Daniel Farke plenty of reason for hope too.
Why Leeds should be able to control tempo of Newcastle game
If there's one thing that Farke and Leeds love to do, it's playing fast and direct when they have the opportunity to do so.
As per FotMob, the Whites currently rank seventh in the Premier League for the most accurate long balls per game with 22.3 on average.
This style of play is also reflected in their possession average, with their 41.1 per cent per game ratio only having Hull (29.4 per cent) below them.
So, how does this work in Leeds' favour when it comes to getting a result against Newcastle you might ask?
Under Jaissle, Toon are very much a team that wants to sit deep and soak up pressure and opposition possession, before springing fast counter-attacks.
Indeed, no side in the Premier League averages fewer possessions won in the final third per game than Newcastle's 1.0 so far this term.
On top of that, they're also registering the third-fewest number of tackles (12.0) per game too.
In theory then, Newcastle will struggle to draw Leeds defenders high up the pitch in the build-up due to their direct preference.
Because of this, Farke's system should nullify Toon's desire to attack spaces behind the defensive line when their opponents overcommit.
So, which Leeds player holds the key to a Leeds result perhaps more than anyone else on Monday night?
Leeds defender's fitness will be put to the test vs Newcastle
Gabriel Gudmundsson is now back from his injury absence for Leeds, and played the full 90 minutes in their latest league game against Brighton.
However, in Newcastle winger Anthony Elanga, the Swede will be lining up opposite one of the most frightening players in the Premier League right now.
The 24-year-old already has two goals from Newcastle's opening three league games, and looks a totally different player under Jaissle.
Per FotMob, no right winger in the Premier League covers more ground sprinting per game than his 555 metres.
So, if Leeds are to stop Newcastle's threat on transitions, most of which centres around Elanga, Gudmundsson needs to be at his sharpest.