Leeds United v Derby County: Leeds eager to steal a march on Yorkshire rivals

AMID a race for the Premier League with unprecedented White Rose involvement, Leeds United playmaker Pablo Hernandez believes any of the top eight sides in the Championship could make a fist of staying in the top flight next season.
Pablo Hernandez: Playmaker hoping to bridge gap to Premier League with Leeds United.Pablo Hernandez: Playmaker hoping to bridge gap to Premier League with Leeds United.
Pablo Hernandez: Playmaker hoping to bridge gap to Premier League with Leeds United.

The Elland Road club, one of three Yorkshire sides occupying a play-off place after 25 games, can steal a march on their rivals tonight at home to Derby County.

Victory would take fourth-placed Leeds to within four points of Newcastle United in the second of two automatic promotion berths.

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It would also open up an eight-point gap on seventh-placed Rams and further cement the hold on a play-off place of not just Garry Monk’s men but also those of Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday ahead of their own meeting at Hillsborough tomorrow.

Barnsley, sitting eighth and just two points behind Steve McClaren’s men, will also be keeping a close eye on events at Leeds.

“This is a difficult game,” said Hernandez, fresh from securing a permanent switch to United after spending the first half of the season on loan from Dubai club Al-Nasr. “When we lost 1-0 at Derby, it was a tough game. But this is a good opportunity for us get a win and open a gap over this team. For me, it is the most important game in this season.”

Derby are one of the sides currently outside the top six who are strongly fancied to make a big push for the play-offs.

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David Nugent’s arrival from Middlesbrough earlier this week along with an earlier bid being rejected for Nottingham Forest captain Henri Lansbury suggests plenty of ambition in the Rams’ boardroom.

Leeds, too, are determined to capitalise on a hugely promising position with a run of nine wins from 13 league outings since that October loss to Derby at the Ipro having opened up the possibility of a tilt at automatic promotion.

“The best for us would be to finish in the top two because we would go direct to the Premier League,” added Hernandez.

“But it is not easy. Newcastle and Brighton are strong teams.

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“It is a mistake to think now about this. More important is to win the next game because then we open a gap over the seventh team in the table.

“That is important because when you play with a (decent-sized) gap you can play with more calm.”

With the promotion race shaping up to be every bit as dramatic as last season when Middlesbrough went up on the last day and Hull edged an all-Yorkshire play-off final, supporters of all four White Rose clubs could be in for a nervy second half of the season.

Whoever does prevail will then have to bridge what, in previous years, has been a big gap between the second tier and the Premier League. This time around, however, Hernandez believes there is sufficient quality in the Championship for a host of teams to possibly survive.

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“The difference (between the two divisions) isn’t too much,” said the Spaniard, who spent two seasons in the top flight with Swansea City.

“In the Premier League, you have big teams and big players, but the football is similar. I think the first seven or eight teams in the Championship can beat any teams in the Premier League and could fight to stay in it. There is not too much difference.”

Hernandez believes Leeds can be one of the teams testing their mettle against the elite next term.

It is why this week he signed a contract until the end of the season that includes a clause allowing United to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

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“I am very happy here,” said the 31-year-old. “The club gave me confidence and now the only thing I want to do is help the team to go to the Premier League.

“A lot of people when I came here told me that Leeds United are a big club. But I knew the history. When I played in Valencia’s youth teams, Valencia played Leeds in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

“So, I knew when I came here that this is a big club. The last few years were not the best moments for Leeds because they are playing in the Championship, but now, this is a good moment to (try and) come back to the Premier League. I will be very happy if I can help the club.”

Pontus Jansson starts a two-game ban tonight after collecting his 10th yellow card of the season in Monday’s FA Cup win at Cambridge United.

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Liam Cooper also injured his shoulder in that third-round tie, meaning Monk may have to rejig his back four with Luke Ayling partnering Kyle Bartley in the centre of defence. Lewie Coyle would then come in at right-back, allowing Gaetano Berardi to switch to the opposite flank as Charlie Taylor continues his recovery from injury.

“I know him from Swansea,” said Hernandez, about the man who has the selection headache.

“I played with him and then in the second year he was my boss, my gaffer. He understands the players, in the good and bad moments. The first games of this season were a bad moment. We didn’t have a good start, but he didn’t let our heads go down.”

Last six games: Leeds United WWWDWW Derby County WDWDLW.

Referee: S Duncan (Northumberland).

Last time: Leeds United 2 Derby County 2; December 29, 2015; Championship.