'Will smash us' - Crystal Palace star sends brutal Leeds United warning to teammates

Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton has warned his side could get ‘smashed’ by Leeds United if they have one eye on next week’s crunch European tie.

Leeds head to Selhurst Park this afternoon looking to bounce back from consecutive home defeats in the Premier League. Daniel Farke’s side did beat Norwich City 3-0 in the FA Cup last time out and have good memories of thumping Palace 4-1 at Elland Road back in December.

Palace have pulled away from relegation trouble with their main focus now likely to be on winning the Europa Conference League. But a last-16 first-leg 0-0 draw at home to AEK Larnaca on Thursday leaves them far from comfortable, and they’ve had just two full days to prepare for Leeds.

Oliver Glasner’s side head to Cyprus for the second-leg of that crucial European clash on Thursday next week. But Wharton insists focus must be solely on Sunday’s visit of Leeds to Selhurst Park - and anything less could prove a disaster for the Eagles.

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“You can’t think about next week yet,” Wharton told the Sun. “If we’re too busy ­thinking about Thursday, Leeds will smash us. It’s as simple as that.”

Leeds blew Palace away in the reverse fixture late last year, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring twice in the first-half before Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach rounded off a 4-1 victory. All four Whites goals came from set-pieces with long throws proving particularly fruitful.

Goals have dried up a little for Leeds more recently, with blanks drawn in defeat to Manchester City and Sunderland. But having found success against this afternoon’s hosts in December, they will be confident a similarly physical performance will earn them points.

“Obviously, we suffered at Elland Road earlier in the season, so we know we can’t let that happen again,” Wharton added. “They will be aggressive. It will definitely be a physical contest. We’ve just got to be up for it.”