Leeds United play host to Southampton on Saturday and Saints star Ryan Fraser has given his verdict on the Elland Road atmosphere ahead of this weekend’s clash.
What could be a crucial game and possibly a warm-up for a Championship play-off final, Daniel Farke‘s side will be looking to bounce back from their shock 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday night at Loftus Road.
Southampton have now lost their last three games. Before that string of losses, they won three on the bounce and were possibly going to make a late push for the last two but they then lost 2-1 at Cardiff.
The Welsh side scoring a 96th-minute winner to end any hope of a top-two finish for Russell Martin’s side. They have then lost 5-0 to Leicester City and on Saturday, were beaten 1-0 by Stoke at St. Mary’s.
A poor run of form that they will be desperate to put right before the play-offs at Elland Road, in order to go into the play-offs with momentum. Leeds of course, can still finish second if they win on Saturday.
Fraser has emerged as a bit of a leader at Southampton this season after joining last summer. A more-experienced head who has been there and done it in the Championship and the Premier League.
He told The Daily Echo that the Southampton players need to improve because of the atmosphere that will await both sets of players at Elland Road this weekend:
Ryan Fraser uses one word to describe Leeds United atmosphere
“We all need to have a look in the mirror, myself included and ask ourselves, ‘What am I going to bring to the next four games? How am I going to push to get into that team?’ We’re all going to be working hard.
“Everything’s going to be preparation for next week because that atmosphere at Elland Road is going to be huge. We need to take that hard work into the playoffs,” Fraser said in an interview with The Echo.
Fraser has been an important part of Martin’s Southampton despite only starting 14 games. The Scotland winger has scored eight goals in 40 games after Fraser was linked with Leeds at the start of the season.
The 49ers have handed Daniel Farke a promotion incentive
Plenty of Leeds players are being linked with summer moves, most notably Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray. But The 49ers have moved to assure Farke that bids will be rejected if the club get promoted.
Liverpool are scouting Summerville and a move would see Arne Slot finally land the star, having wanted him at Feyenoord. But The 49ers have held a meeting with Farke recently, planning ahead of the summer.
The Leeds hierarchy have informed Farke that any bids will be rejected if he can get the club promoted to the Premier League. Right now, that hinges on Ipswich’s clash against Coventry City on Tuesday night.