The visit to Vicarage Road to face Watford represents one of Leeds United’s biggest games since returning to the Premier League. Victory would help Jesse Marsch’s side take a huge step towards safety whilst defeat drags them right back into the relegation battle.
On the back of a three-game unbeaten run, the Whites go into the match in strong form with seven points from a possible nine in those games. Marsch’s opposite number on Saturday, Roy Hodgson, is under no illusions of the strength of his upcoming opponents since the American replaced Marcelo Bielsa.
"Since Marcelo Bielsa took over Leeds, and now Jessie Marsh has come in, we have seen a Leeds side that is very competitive," said the Watford boss. "We have seen a Leeds side that had a fantastic season last season and looks like they are pulling well away from the relegation zone this season.
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"So that is going to be regarded as a great success for Leeds United Football Club."
Despite having won just one of their last six games, the Hornets come into the clash with a bit of momentum after turning in a strong performance against Liverpool at Anfield last week. They came away empty handed, falling to a 2-0 defeat in the process, but they certainly had good enough chances to salvage at least a point against the title challengers.
Unsurprisingly, Hodgson wants to see a similar performance against Leeds but with more quality in front of goal. He said: "I need a similar performance (to Liverpool), that is what I really need," the former England boss said.
"Reactions are when you feel your team has done badly or you feel your team has not worked hard enough or hasn't played in the right way and you want to see something totally different.
"That is where I think I would use the word reaction, but I don't think I want to use the word reaction after what I have seen from the team at Southampton and Liverpool. I would like to see a lot more of the same and of course I would like to see us being a bit more fortunate in front of goal and creating a few more goal chances."
