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Matthew Hobkinson

Fulham ace Sasa Lukic hails Javi Gracia's 'strong' Leeds United ahead of FA Cup fifth round tie

Javi Gracia Sasa Lukic Leeds United Fulham FA Cup EPL Whites Southampton

Fulham midfielder Sasa Lukic has praised Leeds United for being a "strong, well-organised team" ahead of their FA Cup fifth round tie at Craven Cottage.

Javi Gracia will be looking to become the first Leeds manager in nearly 20 years to take the Whites to the quarter-finals of the historic competition. Victories over Cardiff City and Accrington Stanley have led the West Yorkshire side to this point as they now find themselves up against Premier League opposition.

Marco Silva's team have battled past Hull City and Sunderland to reach the fifth round, as they too prepare for what is on paper their hardest game in the tournament so far. Despite Premier League survival being Gracia's main priority this season, his self-confessed love for the FA Cup will no doubt see him name a strong starting XI, with the Spaniard knowing that he is just two wins away from a return to Wembley in the semi-finals.

ALSO READ: Chelsea suffer major Thiago Silva injury blow ahead of Leeds United Premier League clash

Ahead of kick-off, Lukic - who arrived at Craven Cottage in January - took the time to praise Leeds for their tactical set-up under Gracia since his arrival.

He told club media : “Tomorrow’s [Tuesday's] game is important as it’s a chance to be better in other games, too, to gain belief and confidence. However, I don’t want to look too far ahead as my main focus is the Leeds game.

“Of course, they have a new head coach, who I know as I played against his side in Spain. They are a strong, well-organised team, but we need to concentrate on ourselves and play in our way, as we have done in the previous games.”

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