‘In our favour’ – Norwich City noted at Elland Road fear the Leeds United crowd

The pressure will mount with every passing minute at Elland Road on Thursday and David Wagner is banking on that panic for a Norwich City advantage. With the semi-final level at 0-0, Leeds United are firm favorites with home advantage to progress from here.

Wagner took Huddersfield Town to the Premier League in 2017 after his side failed to score in three play-off games but won two penalty shoot-outs for promotion. The German is well aware of the role penalties could play at Leeds and seemed to suggest that he will be looking to frustrate the hosts and hang on for as long as possible to turn the tide on the terraces.

“I’ve experienced the playoffs, (I’m) pretty successful and I know penalties can play a role,” he said. “The truth is, and everybody knows it, I’m not talking about a secret, every second, every minute that we play at Elland Road and we’re in the game, it’s a minute in our favor because with this underdog role away from home, this is the truth.

READ MORE: Daniel Farke took a lucky catch from Leeds United to the Norwich City dugout

“We’ve also experienced in the play-offs what that can do to an away team and obviously the home team. This is not a secret. This is a truth and it is up to us to make it count.”

With no changes on the pitch for more than 90 minutes to decide a winner, the second-leg hosts generally become the favorites in these ties. Wagner doesn’t think Leeds automatically have the upper hand now.

The Norwich boss admits he would have liked to win on Sunday but feels he has the group to upset the odds on Thursday.

“I felt it shouldn’t automatically be an advantage to play the second leg at home where the expectations are high and the pressure is high,” he said. “We have our idea, we know what to do to be super-competitive again and hopefully execute very well on Thursday.

“I’m absolutely fine with what I’ve seen. Yes, I would like to win the game, but I have seen enough to go, especially with this group of players, with faith and confidence in the second leg. It’s exactly what we wanted to have and that’s what we got.”