We will know a great deal more about the strength of Tottenham’s revival by mid-afternoon on Saturday. If Roberto De Zerbi’s men can escape one of the toughest venues in English football without taking damage, perhaps he really is on to something.

The Elland Road factor is no myth – Leeds United are currently on the longest unbeaten home run of any Premier League side, dating back eight games to a 1-0 reverse against Sunderland on March 3. Since Daniel Farke took over in 2023, only Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have more points per game at home.

Farke's Leeds have won 44 of 69 games at Elland Road, losing only eight and scoring a whopping 141 goals.

After collecting a single point from matches at Sunderland and Bournemouth and failing to score in either, Leeds are desperate to be back in front of their own supporters.

Here, Daily Mail Sport looks at how one of England’s most evocative stadiums is baring its teeth again.

Reawakening the giant

The last time Leeds were in the top flight, their home form was a huge part in their downfall. From 2021-23, Leeds lost nearly half of their home games (16 of 38) and won only nine.

Farke and the players were able to set it right in the Championship, where Leeds won 35 of 47 in the following two campaigns including the play-off semi-final against Norwich. In the Premier League, it was always going to be a different story but Farke, his players and the supporters have responded to the challenge.

‘Since we’ve come back up, people realise how important the home record is and how we need to drive the team on,’ says Dan Moylan, co-owner of the Square Ball fan channel who has been going to Elland Road since 1982.

‘We know what we need to do to help the team. A lot of players will come to Elland Road and not fancy it. So many stadiums are too comfy and nice. We need it a bit rough and ready to get behind our team.

’Daniel Farke has galvanised the fanbase in a steady way. It’s not been spectacular, more of a steady building of momentum. There has been a lot of jeopardy with Leeds in recent seasons as they’ve gone through the divisions. There was a lot of anxiety in the Championship years but when the nerves were shredded, fans seemed to get behind the team more.’

Elland Road has always provoked strong reactions. Leeds supporters will always be hostile towards Gary Neville but the former Manchester United defender and Sky Sports pundit knows the value of these old-school sporting cathedrals.

‘Elland Road was unbelievable,’ Neville has said. 'There was a real nastiness and hostility to it, but it’s a proper football club with an incredible crowd. You always knew you were in for a brutal afternoon.’

Pep Guardiola saw the other side of the same coin. The 2021-22 campaign had few joys for Leeds, as they stayed up on the final day of the season.

‘Since I arrived, I heard many times about what Elland Road means,’ he said after Manchester City won 4-0 there in April 2022. 'At the end, 4-0 down, fighting to stay in the Premier League and singing, chanting, showing support. I can imagine how the people feel.’

The players

To thrive at Elland Road you need players who can handle it when Leeds are struggling – and this was a significant part of their recruitment plan for the Premier League. Mindful of the failures at Elland Road between 2021 and 2023, Leeds took a different approach to recruitment after returning to the Premier League in 2025.

To make the most of their home, Leeds decided that top-flight experience was needed. In came players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Sean Longstaff and James Justin – battle-hardened Premier League footballers who know what it is to play in spicy atmospheres. These were men who would not wilt when Elland Road was at its most exacting.

The groundwork was laid in the Championship. For any home match outside the top flight, Leeds will always be heavy favourites – but this is double-edged. If a match against a low-profile club is still goalless after half an hour, fans start to groan. A couple of misplaced passes later and those groans turn to jeers.

It takes a certain kind of character to override those difficulties and in the second tier Leeds found it, racking up 190 points across the two seasons.

Before home games, Leeds have followed the same routine under Farke. They will meet at a hotel in the city on the morning of the match and travel by coach to Elland Road.

The pre-match meal and final tactical briefings will take place at the hotel and for later kick-offs, players are encouraged to have an afternoon nap. Sleep-deprived players with very young children may opt to stay in the hotel the night before the game. They will arrive at the ground 90 minutes before kick-off.

Elland Road is in the initial phase of a major redevelopment project that is designed to take the capacity from around 37,000 to 53,000. That means players now enter the stadium via a different route and can no longer be greeted by fans on their way in.

The mystique remains, though. Harry Wilson and Jayden Bogle were in the Derby side who won a spectacular play-off semi-final at Elland Road in May 2019. Both regard it as the best atmosphere they had ever played in and it played a part in their decision to join Leeds.

The risk and reward

Leeds lean heavily on their fanbase when recruiting. About 150,000 turned out in Leeds city centre to celebrate promotion 18 months ago and the club show videos of those scenes to transfer targets.

It is all part of the Leeds brand and while stadium improvement is crucial, it is just as important that the essence of Elland Road does not slip away.

‘It depends who can afford to get in,’ adds Moylan. ‘The club need to be careful not to price out supporters and they have to make sure young working-class fans can afford it.

‘I’ve seen the ground pretty raucous and animalistic going back to the 1990s. Football has changed a lot over the years and the moving of kick-off times doesn’t help but on its day Elland Road now is as good as it’s ever been.’ Tottenham have been warned.