Leeds United denied tactics reveal as security heightened on day two of Australia tour
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Leeds United shared Brisbane Roar's training facilities on Wednesday as Jesse Marsch worked on a plan for Thursday's Queensland Champions Cup opener.
Both the Roar and Aston Villa were first up at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Precinct, training simultaneously on adjacent pitches.
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Hide AdVilla's hyper-vigilant security team ensured bystanders kept their distance but a dozen or so fans did manage to catch a glimpse of Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister's session with the players, through a couple of fences, and had selfies afterwards.
As for the Roar session, boss Warren Moon had his players working on corner routines and prior to some small-sided action the A-League side were focusing on playing out from the back. The A-League does not start until October so the Roar would not traditionally have returned this early and their pre-season is in its infancy. A small number of trialists were involved in their session and could feature against Leeds on Thursday at the Cbus Super Stadium.
It's likely that the Roar will set up in a 4-2-3-1 so could match Leeds' formation, even if they struggle to match the intensity of a Premier League side whose pre-season is now in full swing.
With Aston Villa's session winding down, Marsch's backroom staff arrived to set up for the arrival of the players, Cam Toshack, Mark Jackson and goalkeeping coach Marcos Abad lugging equipment from the bus to a training pitch that, thanks to Tuesday's rain, had a heavy look to it.
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Hide AdLeeds kitman Chris Beasley managed to escape the man-marking system of Villa's security for a catch up with his opposite number and Charlie Austin, a summer signing for the Roar who is not yet fit enough to be considered for involvement against Leeds, had a chat with some of the Whites staff as his individual training session finished.
And as Villa set off for their hotel in their coach, another arrived carrying Marsch and his squad for a pre-match workout. Liam Cooper was again put through his paces away from the main training activities as Leeds protect him from getting a kick on a tender Achilles.
An hour or so later Marsch, who enjoyed an early morning dip in the sea, was wading through questions from local media outlets, the A-League's in-house content team and Leeds-based press.
Tonight, while Liam Cooper and a number of Marsch's staff attend the State of Origin game at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, some of the travelling party will watch from a bar, although the demands of a modern-day tour will not afford the players a chance to enjoy a drink on the evening before a matchday.
Tomorrow Leeds are in action with a 7.45pm local time kick-off, and Whites fans will be able to tune in on LUTV at 10.45am BST.
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