Despite Leeds United’s home advantage over Norwich City in the Championship play-off semi-finals, Daniel Farke is aware that nothing is done.
Following City’s goalless first-leg tie against the Whites, Thursday’s match at Elland Road will be a shootout between the two clubs, with the winner moving on to the Wembley final in less than two weeks.
Farke is happy that Yorkshire will host the championship game, but he believes his old team is still dangerous.
“Everything is still possible, and we need to make sure we play with the same focus and intensity on Thursday,” he stated.
You obviously prefer to play at home rather than away, but anything can happen. All I have to do is mention the Champions League semifinals.
“Any team can win in this kind of situation, but you have to be careful not to overdo things or become overly motivated when you have the support of the home crowd.
Norwich is a very strong team that poses a danger when going on the counterattack. They may punish you if you open too many spots out of greed.
“We need to be careful to identify the tiny margin. It goes without saying that we enjoy playing at home. We’ve had a great season overall with a strong home record.
However, there is no certainty. Both teams still have an equal chance to qualify for the final, so it’s still 50/50.”
Leeds would have been tempted to go for a victory at Carrow Road, but Farke is more aware than anybody of Norwich’s talent.
He expressed his continued affection for the team with a clap of the stadium’s four corners, and he thinks a draw was a good outcome for his present team.
“Norwich have many, many technical players, especially in the centre of the park,” he said. “In our home game against them in the second game of the [regular] season, we encountered some issues.
We gave players like (Kenny) McLean, (Marcelino) Nunez, and (Gabriel) Sara a little too much room to maneuver in order to control the game.
They have earned their place in the semi-final; they are a truly excellent team. You have to be satisfied if you finish the first leg with that outcome.”
