Birmingham City defender Kristian Pedersen has fired an early warning signal at Leeds United, branding Marcelo Bielsa’s side as “not unbeatable."
Pedersen was part of the Blues side which claimed a surprise 2-1 win at Elland Road back in September, inflicting the Whites' first defeat of the Championship season.
United head to St Andrew’s full of confidence after moving back into the automatic promotion places following their dramatic 3-2 win over Millwall, leaving them two points clear of Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United in third.
LIVE: Marcelo Bielsa speaks today ahead of Birmingham clash - READ
Birmingham need the points themselves. Their nine-point deduction, enforced by the EFL for failing profit and sustainability rules, coupled with a badly-timed five-game losing streak, has left them 18th in the table, five points above the relegation zone.
Speaking to BirminghamLive ahead of Saturday’s crunch fixture, Pedersen talked up the Blues’ chances of toppling Bielsa’s side, once again.
How Bolton Wanderers' fate in High Court may impact Leeds United and the promotion race
He said: “We won against Leeds last time, yes they are a leading team in the league, but my personal mentality is I don’t care. They are not unbeatable and they have lost games also. I think we will do our best to make it difficult for Leeds.”
Ahead of their meeting at Elland Road earlier in the campaign, Gary Monk’s side were without a win in their opening eight Championship fixtures.
They once again meet the Whites in a run of bad form, without a win in their last four home matches, but Pedersen believes lightning could strike twice.
“It means we’re going to win again and start having a good run again,” he joked.
“The fans deserve it, they deserve for us to be in a higher position than we are now, but we had the points deducted. It’s a huge club with amazing fans, we have to give back as much as we can.”
The numbers that show why Leeds United are the biggest draw in the Championship
United will check on the fitness of top-scorer Kemar Roofe ahead of their trip to the Midlands. Bielsa is expected to give a fitness update on the 14-goal forward at his pre-match press conference tomorrow.
Roofe hasn’t featured for the Whites since their 2-1 home win over Swansea on February 13.
