Marcelo Bielsa has commented on Leeds United’s midweek opponents, Brentford, as the Whites prepare for a second crunch promotion clash in the space of four days.

Leeds have seen their healthy lead over third-place cut down from 11 points to just goal difference as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to fellow promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest, while the sides below them recorded wins, including Tuesday night’s opponents Brentford.

The Bees did well to win late on against Middlesbrough after being pegged back twice in the second half, with Ollie Watkins eventually scoring the winner in the 87th-minute, lifting Thomas Frank’s side to within two points of the Whites ahead of tomorrow’s clash at Griffin Park.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Marcelo Bielsa was asked about his thoughts on Tuesday night’s opponents, and where he sees their strengths at both ends of the pitch.

As quoted by LeedsLive, he stated: “Brentford is a team with good attackers, one midfield builds to attack rather than defend. One compact defence where everybody is involved to defend and help each other.”

The Bees have been in strong form in recent weeks and their attack have been a massive part of that. Coined as ‘BMW’, Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbuemo and Ollie Watkins are proving a massive handful for Championship defences, while their back-line have wrestled the mantle of ‘best defence’ from Marcelo Bielsa’s side in recent weeks as their form goes in completely opposite directions.

Following the defeat to Forest, Bielsa also had the chance to reflect on how he views the other sides in the division when they face Leeds. He added: “Every team plays in the same way against us. We are used to playing the kind of games we have played.”

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The verdict

Bielsa isn’t wrong in his assessment of both Brentford and of the way teams set up against Leeds, given how much the Whites look to dominate possession.

Brentford have been immense this season and the threat is there for Leeds if they aren’t playing at the top of their game.

The most obvious point to be made about the defence is Brentford adding Pontus Jansson to their backline, signing him from Leeds in the summer, which has been outlined some of the frailties in the Whites backline.

It’s sure to be one for the purists on Tuesday night as Leeds and Brentford look to demonstrate their attacking prowess rather than emphasising defensive solidity.