Tottenham Hotspur will face newly promoted Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, and even though Spurs are fourth in the Premier League table and have made real strides under Thomas Frank in his first six matches at the helm, they are at serious risk of an upset defeat.
There are a couple of historical reasons why Spurs supporters should be worried about more dropped points on Saturday, beyond the fact that they've drawn their last three non-League Cup fixtures against lowly Wolves, Bodo Glimt, and Brighton.
Tottenham have a bad track record against newly promoted Premier League teams, and Leeds have proven to be tough nuts to crack, especially at home. They aren't losing in their own grounds, and, right now, they are actually 12th in the Premier League table and outperforming expectations with more wins than European sides Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest to this early point in the season.
There's also another wrinkle that makes things interesting for Tottenham but in a bad way. Tottenham haven't won their last seven matches going into an international break, and any Spurs fan will tell you that this team has a rough time going into the breaks.
Thomas Frank must pass this test, too
Now, most of these losses were in the Ange Postecoglou era, and Big Ange had Tottenham toiling away in 17th in the Premier League; they were disastrous on weekends but champions of the mid-week. But even Thomas Frank and Spurs broke up some great performances with their worst of the season against Bournemouth before the September international break.
So without a signature win of late and faced against a stingy, defensive smaller side that is playing better than expected, Tottenham have a tough task on the road. This matchup against Leeds is going to be more difficult than it looks on paper, and even the most optimistic of Spurs fans have to call this a big test for Frank.
This is his chance to rectify the wrongs against smaller sides like Wolves and Bodo Glimt and prove that he's ready to play more positive football with his Tottenham players, really forcing the issue against a side he should be beating. Leeds will make it tough for Spurs to break the duck of losses before the international break, and with Liverpool definitely within earshot of first place - just four points separate Spurs from the Reds - every match Tottenham can get the expected three points matters a ton, even early in the campaign.