Peterborough United v Leeds United: Why London Road FA Cup tie carries added significance for Whites

Every season has phases where something that worked well before no longer does, and vice-versa.

Leeds United's away form is the Championship’s fifth best but they have lost their last three on the road.

There are reasons for each and rational arguments to explain why it is no big deal but this is football – rational does not apply. If an imagined problem gets between players' ears it can quickly become a real one.

So of course Leeds were drawn away to an in-form side in the FA Cup third round.

"I'm not a big believer in not separating too much between home and away," argues Farke ahead of Sunday's trip to Peterborough United.

"It's the same rules, there are two rectangles on either end of the pitch and it is the same size, 11 against 11 – or mostly, at least.

"I don't want to differ too much between home and away games or speak too much about it.

"Some of our away games we've won in a brilliant manner – at Leicester, Ipswich, Blackburn, Millwall, difficult places to go."

But.

"Sometimes I get the feeling because we have many young players in our starting line-up and especially in crucial positions, in away games when there is a tendency that the referee gives 50-50 decisions against you or the stadium is a bit more excited, sometimes we pay the price for our youth and naivety when not everything works straight away in our favour," he adds.

"We need to show steel like an experienced, really mature group. This is what we're working on.

"To show resilience and mental strength not to be too down and lose our focus as we have a little bit in a few of our last away games, this is our task and my task."

Peterborough might only be in League One but Farke argues the top of that table translates to at least the bottom half of the Championship. And since Leeds started entering the Cup at the third-round stage again in 2011, all four ties against lower-division opposition have been lost.

"We won't take any risks and have to keep in mind some players desperately need some minutes and some have had lots of load in recent weeks," says the Whites manager.

"But we also want to put a side out which has a chance to go through to the next round."

Sam Byram, Pascal Struijk and Joe Gelhardt are injured, Liam Cooper doubtful. Kristoffer Klaesson starts in goal with Karl Darlow out for seven weeks and Ilan Meslier completing a three-match ban.