Marco Silva makes Elland Road atmosphere claim as Fulham looks to compound Leeds United's woes

The Cottagers head into the Premier League meeting after winning 3-0 against Aston Villa on Thursday night in a result which spelt the end of Steven Gerrard’s tenure in Birmingham.

Silva’s side face a Leeds team without a win in seven games, with the pressure increasing on manager Jesse Marsch after the midweek loss at Leicester.

The Fulham boss insists United’s poor form does not give his players any extra motivation as he prepares to face a partisan Elland Road crowd.

“Our motivation comes from ourselves, from our desire to be playing at the level we are playing, to keep improving, to learn from some mistakes. This is our own motivation,” said Silva.

“After analysing our opponent, we know what type of team we will play against. Even if they didn’t take the best results the last few games, all of us know what it means to play at Elland Road, what type of atmosphere will be there.

“Everyone that loves football loves that type of environment. It’s another good opportunity for us to show our quality, our personality as a team, to deal well with that type of environment.

“I’m sure they want to react, and we want to keep reacting as a team as well, for different circumstances.

“It’s up to us to prepare our players well, to recover well, because it’s a really short space between both games. We have to assess them, how they are, and prepare in the best way we can.”

Silva has expressed his admiration for his counterpart’s passionate approach to the game as the two managers prepare to go head-to-head for the first time on Sunday.

When asked about the Leeds head coach, Silva told the media: “It will be the first time that we play against each other. Passion, is the first thing that I can see. I can feel it, even on the touchline, how he feels during a game.”

He continued: “He’s trying his best for his team, he’s a very good manager. Last season he had a good impact on their squad when he came after Bielsa.

“They lost some players, but they did well in the market as well, they signed very good players, young players with very good quality. It will be tough for us, but we will challenge a good side. I think it will be a good game.”