Leeds finally get Elland Road back this Sunday, facing an in-form Brentford side who will sure to be a stern test. Two wins out of two against Nottingham Forest have us looking good, but Keith Andrews has his side playing well, and Sunday feels like the first proper test of our season. There's not been much to complain about in out opening two games.
Anton Stach's free kick in the 88th minute won a cagey game at the City Ground on the opening weekend, the kind of afternoon where three points mattered far more than performance. Three days later we went back and did it properly, Daniel James and James Justin putting Forest away 2-0 in the cup with a performance that had far more control to it. Two games, two clean sheets but Daniel Farke isn't getting carried away. Asked about the run this week he called it good for confidence but said it's "nothing more" than that, and reminded everyone that we need roughly a point a game to stay up. Momentum can change quickly, in his words, and we have to be aware of what's coming.
What's coming is a Brentford side who have started the season impressively. They put three past Tottenham on the opening weekend without much fuss, Lewis-Potter, Janelt and Kayode all on the scoresheet, then went and hit six past Birmingham in the cup in midweek. Farke didn't try to hide his respect for what Andrews has built there, calling this "one of the most complicated tasks right now" and describing Brentford as a bit like a bulldozer at the moment, pointing back to that 7-0 pre season demolition of Frankfurt as proof nobody has worked them out yet. They've added even more depth too, getting a deal for West Ham left back Malick Diouf over the line, although it wasn't clear whether the paperwork would be sorted in time for him to be involved.
There was nothing new from Farke in terms of injury news. Gnonto and Joseph are both out, Gudmundsson and Gruev are being managed carefully rather than rushed back. Gruev has now had his second week of full training after four months out but Farke was cautious, saying he looks good on the training pitch but that there's no need to rush him given where we are. Gudmundsson sounds a bit further along, with more urgency to get him involved given our options at left back are thinner. Beyond that, don't expect wholesale changes. Ampadu is set to keep his place alongside Stach in the middle, a pairing Farke rates highly even while he says he prefers Ampadu not to shoot.
Brentford have their own gaps to manage. Milambo is still out with that knee injury from Netherlands under 21 duty, and van den Berg remains sidelined with a groin issue, but Andrews reported no fresh problems beyond that pair. Janelt and Kayode both come into this full of confidence after scoring against Spurs, and Kelleher has been outstanding in goal for them too. There was a bit of news on our own goalkeeping situation as well this week, with Farke confirming Lucas Perri has been given the green light to travel and complete his move to Torino, while a replacement is still being finalised. He wouldn't be drawn on names, saying he doesn't want to lie but isn't ready to speak about it until it's actually done. But it’s pretty clear it’s Michael Zetterer.
History doesn't offer much of a clue either way. The last three league meetings between these two have all finished level, and Brentford haven't won at Elland Road since 2015, but the current form of both sides suggests this one won't be short of quality. Farke's honesty about the size of the task extends beyond the pitch too, he's cautiously optimistic there's more transfer business to come before the window shuts. For Sunday though, his message has been consistent all week. Enjoy where we are, respect what Brentford are doing, and don't let two good results against one team turn into anything more than they are.
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