Norwich City manager Johannes Hoff Thorup has described his club’s trip to Leeds United on Wednesday as their “toughest test yet” but believes his players are capable of causing a shock.

The Canaries will be without 15-goal Championship top scorer Borja Sainz amid his six-game ban for admitting to spitting at an opposition player in December. And they might also be without eight other players due to injury, while new signing Matej Jurasek cannot take part due to post-Brexit regulations.

The club are still only five points off a play-off spot, albeit risk falling out of the top half of the table with a defeat against Leeds. They lie just a point behind Sheffield Wednesday, whose manager Danny Rohl described United as the best team in the division following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to the Whites.

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When these comments were put to Thorup, the Dane agreed: “They are. If we look at Leeds, they are probably up there on the offensive stats, but also up there on the defensive stats and that’s the reason why they are top of the table.

“It’s fair to say they are the toughest test for us at the moment. But that is also what makes it exciting.”

Thorup has been at the helm at Carrow Road for eight months, having been appointed after the sacking of David Wanger following Norwich's 4-0 play-off semi-final first leg defeat to United last May.

Wednesday will mark the club’s first visit to Elland Road since that match, with manager Thorup making the trip for the first time. The 35-year-old says he is aware of the size of the task ahead of his team on Wednesday but insists he and his players believe they can beat Daniel Farke's men if the right cards fall into place.

“I think we can beat everyone in the league,” he remarked. “I think we can go to Leeds tomorrow night and win. That’s the motivation I have to bring into the players but when I saw them this morning and we spoke about our plan for the game, I see the same there.

“They definitely think they can go to Leeds and win it. We know it's going to be difficult, we just look at the standings and the games they’ve played.”

Thorup added: “It’s an exciting test. It would have been interesting to see if we had everyone available how good we can go to Leeds. Now we are where we are.

“It’s also going to be interesting who is going to take the responsibility needed in the game. Are they able to take the next step in their career here at Norwich and make it even more clear if they are going to be a starter in the future.”