Here are your Leeds United morning headlines on Sunday, April 9.
Roy Hodgson hails 'special' relegation battle
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has claimed that any team that gets relegated this year will be 'too good' to go down after he hailed what is a "special season" for those clubs in the bottom-half of the table.
Leeds United welcome the Eagles to Elland Road on Sunday afternoon (2pm) and know that a win over Hodgson's side would see them leapfrog their opponents in the table. The Whites could end the day anywhere from 16th to 12th and the Palace boss is all too aware that this term has been an unusual one in the battle to stay up.
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"This is a special season," he said. "I think the real crux this year, there’s not a team that has maybe come up, found it a little bit hard, not really been able to get any real grip if you like on the league.
"We’re looking at which of these seven are going to go down, and one thing is for sure, and we must be aware of. Any club that goes down this year is going to say ‘we were too good to go down.’ That’s what they’ll say."
Leeds United's 49ers vision may get a boost as Gracia tries to match Marsch pace vs Crystal Palace
Leeds United host Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace at Elland Road in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon and here are five things to look out for around the match
A big step forward psychologically?
A draw would take Leeds United to 30 points, but a win takes them to 32 and, arguably, one more win from safety. It’s been 12 years since the traditional 40 points were needed to survive relegation from the Premier League.
Over the last 10 seasons, the average total needed for survival was 35 points. Hitting the 30s in early April would be a major psychological breakthrough for the Whites.
With nine teams still realistically scrapping to avoid the drop, it’s impossible for them all to keep picking points up as they play one another. Take three directly from Crystal Palace today, then another three directly from Leicester City or Bournemouth at the end of the month and the table has to start looking rosier.
Javi Gracia emphasises Leeds United's recovery in form since his arrival amid relegation battle
Javi Gracia has highlighted the drastic recovery in form at Leeds United following his arrival that saw the Whites shrug off a run of 10 Premier League matches without a win.
Following a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground back in February, Jesse Marsch had his time called short on his tenure at the club just shy of 12 months in charge. The American had failed to win in his last seven top-flight matches in charge and Michael Skubala's three-game spell at the helm also failed to see the West Yorkshire side record a victory.
Conversely, Gracia's last fixture in charge - a win over Forest on Tuesday night - has now meant the former Watford boss has recorded three Premier League wins in his six-match tenure so far. Defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea alongside a thrilling 2-2 draw with high-flying Brighton the only blemishes on an otherwise faultless record at the club.
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