Fulham boss Scott Parker has outlined his expectations of how an empty Elland Road might effect his side's performance today, as they face Leeds United in the Championship.

Last night saw a huge game at the top of the Championship. Brentford hosted and beat leaders West Brom to close the gap on the automatic promotion spots to five points, whilst Leeds host 4th-place Fulham this afternoon.

Both Fulham and Leeds got off to losing restarts to their Championship seasons, and after last night's result in West London it gives both teams added incentive to get the win today.

Speaking to Yorkshire Evening Post ahead of the game, Parker had his say on how no fans might effect today's fixture:

“There’s no hiding that Elland Road, with the Leeds fans and the intensity they build, they have a fantastic support.

“It’s always a very hostile and difficult place to go. With no fans, that could have a positive effect. Saying that, I also believe that there are a lot of players who thrive off that intensity. It could work both ways." It's a strange phenomena to watch the remainder of most every top-flight football league being played with no fans in the stadiums. Can you get 100% on this Fulham quiz? Have a go now! For many teams, the absence of a home crowd could well nullify the home advantage, whilst for away teams for example - like Fulham today - the absence of a home crowd could play in their favour.
“Leeds players would obviously want their fans behind them, like we wanted our fans behind us at the weekend, but on the flip side of that, the hostility of a stadium sometimes when you’re away from home is something that brings a siege mentality to a team," continued the Fulham boss. “It could be a positive or it could be a negative, we’ll just have to wait and see.” Leeds' loss at Cardiff shocked the watching fans. Marcelo Bielsa's side were expected to steamroll an inconsistent Cardiff side after finishing the season in strong form back in March. Fulham meanwhile looked weak in their 2-0 defeat to Brentford in the restart to the season, but a win for them today would close the gap on Leeds to just four points. The verdict Everyone knows the intensity of Elland Road on a match-day, and today's game would've been another hostile welcome for Leeds' promotion contenders Fulham. Nevertheless, Bielsa will have been somewhat embarrassed by last week's defeat, and he'll expect nothing less than a win a today against a Fulham side who have often proved ineffective against the league's top sides this season.