Javi Gracia will be keen to see lightning strike twice this weekend when Leeds United travel to face Graham Potter's out of sorts Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard got off to a strong start to life in the Elland Road hotseat by bucking Leeds’ 10-game run without a win last weekend against Southampton and that was enough to lift the club out of the relegation zone.
The Whites couldn’t build on that result in the FA Cup on Tuesday night against Fulham, but Gracia will be keen to see his side make progress against Chelsea in a game that sends his mind back to his first spell as a Premier League manager. Gracia took over from Marco Silva at Watford in January 2018 and after a draw with Stoke and a defeat in the FA Cup, he faced Chelsea in his third game in charge.
It was played at Vicarage Road, but Watford won the game 4-1 under Gracia’s guidance, thanks to goals from Troy Deeney, Daryl Janmaat, Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra, and that kick-started a run of three wins in four for the Hornets, who were in midtable when they sacked Silva. The 52-year-old joined Leeds in different circumstances this time around but he understandably finds the similarities hard to ignore and if he can find another result against the Blues it would provide a huge boost to Leeds’ hopes of survival.
