Daniel Farke: Leeds United boss calls for cool before table-topping match with Leicester City
- Published
Leeds United forwards Willy Gnonto (left) and Georginio Rutter (middle) were both on the scoresheet in Saturday's 2-0 win at Plymouth
Leeds boss Daniel Farke has warned his side against getting "over-motivated" before the home game with Championship leaders Leicester on Friday.
A ninth-straight league win would see the second-placed Whites close the gap to the Foxes to six points.
"We know we face probably the toughest opponent in the league right now but so do Leicester," Farke said.
"We want to show that we are capable to play at the same level or even better."
He added to BBC Radio Leeds:, external "It's important not to lose your cool and be over-motivated for such a game.
"It has the same value as the other games we play. For the final table it is the same."
"On the other hand it is a special game and it reminds you of when you first started to play football when you want to challenge yourself against the best possible opponent."
Farke's side have made a flawless start to 2024, having ended 2023 with back-to-back defeats.
The German, who won two Championship titles during his time with Norwich, praised his side's "perfect consistency" so far this calendar year as they look for an immediate return to the Premier League.
"We have delivered top consistency this year in terms of performances and results," he said.
"We have conceded just one goal in 2024, created many chances and scored many goals and we are through in the FA Cup. It's perfect consistency and we want to use this momentum."
Despite their imperious form, the 47-year-old is not thinking about catching Enzo Maresca's men at the top of the table.
The Foxes have led the Championship since 4 October but fell to a third home defeat of the season in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough.
"We had a difficult start and since then we have maybe collected a few more points in comparison to them," Farke said.
"I was never so concentrated on the points gap to Leicester and even right now I'm not too bothered about it.
"Even if we win this game then they still have a great points tally and they have everything in their own hands and we can't influence their games."
Foxes have point to prove - Winks
Leicester have a point to prove - Winks
Leicester, who were relegated with the Whites last season, lost the reverse fixture between the sides 1-0 in November to halt a run of nine successive league victories.
Midfielder Harry Winks says the table-toppers know what to expect at Elland Road.
"I've played at Leeds before and know the atmosphere there is incredible. They will be up for it, their fans will be up for it but so will we," the former Tottenham man told BBC East Midlands Today.
"We are going to go there with a point to prove, especially after losing to Boro. We don't want to make it two defeats in a row."
He added: "The first 15 minutes we expect them to come out and come at us with the atmosphere high.
"It's important for us to play our football to manage that and to try to settle the crowd and find our way into the game and do what we do best - and that is control the match and set the tempo."
Winks called the 78 points Leicester have after 33 games an "incredible tally".
Allowing for three points for a victory, only six teams in the entire history of the second tier have ever accumulated more at this stage of a season, and only one since 1931.
Despite being in a position to potentially break the Championship record total of 106 set by Reading, who had 82 at this stage of the 2005-06 campaign, Winks believes that their battle to secure promotion could go into the final games of the season.
Like Leeds, third-placed Ipswich are also nine points behind Maresca's men, while fourth-placed Southampton are two points further back on 67 points.
"If I'm honest I think it will go to the end, I think it will be a league where we might not find out about promotion or anything until the last three or four games," the England international added.
"All we can do is focus on ourselves, at the moment we are leading and we want it to stay that way.