Extreme as it might be, one national media pundit's prediction of a 5-0 Leeds United win on Sunday says something about the perception of where both sides find themselves going into this fixture.

Prior to the Arsenal trip, Leeds were flying. Defeat by a solitary goal at the home of the English champions, having performed so well, hardly clipped the wings of Daniel Farke's men. Sunday's visitors, however, have had the word 'crisis' thrown around about them like confetti this week following a high-profile Lisandro Martínez post-defeat interview in Madrid.

The favourites tag is one Leeds are striving to earn in the Premier League, even in games like this one but Farke is not certain it's warranted just yet.

"I'm not sure if we're a favorite," he said. "I know how the perception is. We had a brilliant start to this new season and are in a really good position. And yes, perhaps Manchester United found it tough to win the last matches. But nevertheless, if you have a look at the squads, if you have a look how long they spent on Premier League level, you have to say that they are definitely not the underdog in a game against Leeds United."

Farke has often highlighted the danger in facing a team who have struggled prior to their meeting with Leeds and believes his side have to be at the top of their game to come out on the right side on Sunday. He is also out to ensure that no matter the external perception of Leeds or their opponents, no one at Thorp Arch gets any ideas above their station or loses sight of what underpins potential success in Yorkshire. The boss came to his pre-game press conference armed with an amusing recent example.

"First of all, I'm not worried about the fact that someone would judge us as favorite, it's what we want to be," he said. "We want to win football games. We want to do things right. I don't want to talk us down. We have all reasons to go with confidence and a good mood into this game.

"We just have to make sure that we stay humble, we don't lack the basics or think we can afford to be there with just 99 per cent work against the ball. It's a fine balance between playing with confidence but not going over the line. It's relatively easy with this squad because I don't have the feeling that anyone is flying too high, and if so, I make sure they are not flying too high.

"Ao Tanaka was one example - always over critical with himself and sometimes he needs an arm round the shoulder and tell him how good he really is. This is what we've done with him and I think he was he was excellent in the last games and is in a top shape. This week I spotted him when it was 25 degrees coming out with with gloves on. Listen, you're not [Zion] Suzuki or a goalkeeper or whatever. Don't think we can do it so soft, we lead proper duels here. We are Leeds United and we are not overdoing things. I took the gloves, anyhow.

"So believe me, if someone thinks, 'okay, we can afford to do anything with one per cent less, or can be a bit soft' or whatever, I will make sure that this won't happen. Sadly, it doesn't result in always winning game after game, but we still need a good balance. I know exactly where we are as a club in our development, and I will make sure that no one will fly too high."