Warnock: How Leeds can snare Foxes

Ninth-placed United, who have an injury doubt regarding striker Luke Varney ahead of tonight’s encounter, are chasing just their second double this season against the Foxes, who have won just once in their last six matches in league and cup.

Whites boss Warnock tipped the East Midlanders to be lifting Championship silverware ahead of the club’s meeting at the end of November, with City – who have invested heavily in their quest for promotion back to the top-flight – then arriving at Elland Road in third spot.

But Nigel Pearson’s side, now fifth, have failed to truly kick on in their quest for a top-two finish and currently find themselves eight points behind second-placed Hull City, albeit with a game in hand with the clock ticking regarding their automatic promotion hopes.

Warnock, whose side are six points and three places behind Brighton, the side who occupy the final play-off spot, said: “Midfield and forward-wise, Leicester are as good as any one on the league. Look at (David) Nugent and (Chris) Wood, they have players to die for, really.

“They will be disappointed to not be in the top two. Expectations were that they will go up this year and pressure will be on them. They have a good blend, but I think we can get at them.

“If you had have said a few weeks ago we’d have been going into these games full of confidence there’d have been question marks.”

United started a key triple-header of games with a three-point haul against Millwall on Saturday and while Warnock feels a collective haul of five points from the game against the Lions and the tough away-days at Leicester and Crystal Palace would be a decent return and keep their play-off dream just about alive, he admits a win on the road will boost their cause massively.

Leeds claimed a famous victory at Leicester last term, thanks to a screamer from Adam Clayton which came on the back of a 5-0 home demolition at the hands of Blackpool and another re-run of that away result would been certainly be cherished by everyone of a Whites persuasion.

Warnock, whose side have won just three Championship away games this term and are without a victory in on their travels in seven Championship games said: “We did say it would be good to get five points from three games and then we can go and put the pressure on. But we’ve started with a win and there’s no reason why we can’t pick up another one.

“We won’t go into these games thinking anything other than ‘we can win it’. That’s how we feel. Only time will tell if we’re strong enough.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been anywhere to get a point. We haven’t set out our stall to do that.

“There’s games where you think you might want to do that. But the two teams we’re playing are under pressure to get points as well, because they’re close and they’ll be expected to beat us.

“We’ll give them a good game. We’re full of confidence, the lads at the back are doing well and the front lads know they only need the rub of the green, so I don’t think we could be going in any better.”

Meanwhile, Warnock is sweating over the fitness of industrious forward Varney, currently enjoying a renaissance in fortunes at Elland Road after a tough first-half of the season.

On Varney’s hopes of featuring against his hometown club tonight after picking up a late leg injury - courtesy of an inadvertent challenge from team-mate Stephen Warnock late on during Saturday’s game, he added: “His leg is badly bruised. He’s had a lot of compression over the weekend.

“Luke will want to play so if there is a chance he’ll play. I would like to keep the same team if we can and leave it alone.”

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