Preston North End manager Alex Neil has had good experiences on previous trips to Elland Road and is looking forward to visiting Leeds United once again.
The PNE boss led his side to victory against Marcelo Bielsa’s high-flying Whites just three weeks ago in the second round of the Carabao Cup and is hoping for a repeat of that performance.
“I really enjoy Leeds,” he told iFollow PNE. “I think the atmosphere is always good, their fans give them a really good backing and last couple of times we have been there our fans have been very vocal as well; we have played very well, put in some good performances.
“Most of my teams have done relatively well when we have gone to Leeds and I am hoping that this will remain the case.”
Both sides have some key players missing for Tuesday night’s game, meaning there will be players with a point to prove in either line-up.
“The likes of Hernandez and Roofe are some of their best players and they are their best players for a reason, so – like ourselves, who have the likes of Ben Pearson missing, who everyone knows is a key player for us – when those players are not there, it does make it more difficult to go and win games, but that gives an opportunity for someone else to show they can become a key player,” he continued.
“It is up to us to try and play as well as we possible can.
“The games we have played recently, there has been very little in them, but unfortunately for us we don’t seem to be finding ourselves on the right side of the results at the moment.”
And despite recent results, the gaffer says his group is one that has a level head when it comes to its emotions: “”It is a case of keep believing. Naturally when you are doing something and you are not getting the rewards that you think you deserve, confidence and belief are two things that tend to wane a little bit
.
“But, as I have said to the players, we are the only ones who can change that.
“It is not a crisis by any means, but we have to start picking up points and we have to do it quickly and we understand that.
“We are only seven games into the season, the last two previous to the last one, I think we lost six out of eight and then went on an incredible run, and most of the same players are here.
“So, this group is capable of going on a really good run, but what we need to do is do the basic things well and that is something I thought set us apart from that middle pack in the division last season, we managed to find a way to win some crucial games when we needed to,” he added.
To watch the full interview with the manager where he talks about injuries, formations and more, click on the video link at the top of the page – all iFollow PNE videos are free to access without the need for a subscription.