Marcelo Bielsa confident that Leeds star can banish Derby demons

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Marcelo Bielsa has been quoted by the YEP’s live coverage of his pre-Derby County press conference that he is confident Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla can put his Derby demons in the past on Saturday.

Leeds take on Derby for the first time since The Rams beat Leeds 4-2 at Elland Road to advance to the Championship play-off final. The two sides have developed somewhat of a rivalry, especially after the Spygate incident.

The 32-year-old was at fault for Derby’s first of their four goals, completely misjudging a ball over the top which allowed Jack Marriott to pounce. However, this season, the former Spain international has been flawless.

Casilla has kept five clean sheets in nine outings and conceded just five goals. He will be looking to make it a sixth clean sheet at Elland Road on Saturday, and Bielsa is confident he can put last season’s mistake behind him when Derby visit.

“Kiko has a solid character and I cannot imagine that his performance is going to be linked with the performance of last season,” Bielsa said.

TBR’s view – Casilla a different player this time around

Thrusted into a promotion charge after little game time beforehand, Casilla was expected to cope with the rigours of the Championship – but also perform to an excellent standard, given he had joined the club from Real Madrid.

He struggled with that pressure, and certainly with the physicality of England’s second tier. But a full pre-season and the chance to be the first-choice goalkeeper for an entire season has seen his form catapult. He is a different player to the nervy one Derby faced in the play-offs.