League Cup v Derby County match preview

By: j | November 11th, 2008

Leeds travel to Pride Park to face Derby County in the League Cup today. A victory today would extend Leeds the farthest in a Cup competition since 2003 when Leeds faced Sheffield United in the FA.

Before the match Gary McAllister said:

“There are clubs in our league who are capable of getting results against Championship clubs,. We did it against Crystal Palace. Derby are having something of a resurgence, and Paul Jewell is doing very well there. I watched them against Forest which was a typical derby contest, but man for man, we’ll go there and we don’t have anything to fear. It would be an upset if we got a result and there won’t be many occasions this season when we are underdogs. Let’s face it, every league game we are favourites. The pressure is on Derby. It’s at their ground. It’s a fantastic arena, and their fans do create a good atmosphere, although I’m sure we will take our full quota. The tie has a nice ring to it, there’s tradition and history, and it’s a proper game. We’re looking forward to it. A lot of the big clubs are in, and the winners go into the quarters, so the incentive is there. That’s what everyone is craving for here. We want those sort of fixtures on a league basis, but we are where we are, and we want them in the cup. I said last week that I love cup competitions, and the buzz they create around the city. We want to keep going on all fronts as well.”

Leeds is reporting no new injuries with Jermaine Beckford fully-fit while Paul Jewell will be without Martin Albrechtsen and Dean Leacock.

I will report on the match as it concludes.