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Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has been highly complimentary of upcoming opponents Leeds United, as well as giving praise for opposite number Marcelo Bielsa.

Leeds host Newcastle on Wednesday in a Premier League fixture and it’s a game that both will really be targeting three points.

Whites manager Bielsa has seen his team win just one of their previous five matches, but they remain 14th in the table and have still made a relatively strong return to the top-flight following their promotion last season.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are three points above them in 12th and have won three games in their last five.

Bruce believes that Argentine boss Bielsa has made a huge impact during his time at Elland Road and is expecting a tough midweek fixture against a Leeds team he claims can blow teams away.

“Physically they’re number one in the Premier League. They have the ability to run long distances very quickly and that’s something Bielsa has brought in. He’s top class coach and manager. They’ve blown teams away doing that and we have to be ready,” Bruce said, as quoted by the club’s official Twitter account.

TBR’s View:

Leeds perhaps go into Wednesday night for the first time this season under a small amount of pressure, as they don’t want their six-point cushion over the relegation zone to be cut any smaller.

The Yorkshire giants have been a credit to the Premier League so far this season, but they may need to learn how to win ugly at times with gritty performances.

It’s clear that Newcastle are going to try make themselves difficult to beat at Elland Road and hit on the counter, so Leeds need to come up with a way to negate that threat.