FA Cup: Sunderland boss Gus Poyet saddened by the plight of Leeds United

Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet will go into FA Cup third-round battle with former club Leeds United saddened by their fall from grace.

Leeds reached the semi-finals of the Champions League less than 14 years ago, but now sit in 20th place in the Sky Bet Championship table, just one point above the drop zone.

The Yorkshire side head into Sunday’s match at the Stadium of Light with head coach Neil Redfearn – the third man to hold the post this season – reportedly under pressure after a run of five defeats in seven games.

Poyet spent a year at Leeds working as then-manager Dennis Wise's assistant between 2006 and 2007, and retains a huge fondness for a club whose fortunes provide a salutary lesson.

He said: "It's sad because I think they have got everything to be in the Premier League – they should be in the Premier League – but they are paying the price of two or three incredible years at the highest level.

"It was well done, it was achievable, but as soon as they went down, there was so much money spent that to recover from that, you never know if you need three, five, 10 or 15 years and that's why they are still paying that price.

"All the enjoyment of that Champions League moment - now it's the other side, the darker side, and it's not easy.

"They are on the way back, but it's taking a little bit longer than I would have expected, to be honest."

Despite Leeds' struggles Poyet remains wary of Sunday’s tie, which is the first meeting between the two clubs in the FA Cup since the Black Cats upset holders Leeds in the final at Wembley in 1973.

He said: "It's a difficult game. It's a tricky one because it all depends how the game starts and how good you are on the day.

"We cannot relax. We need to be better on the ball, we need to impose our quality and difference between a Premier League player and a Championship player, it's as simple as that. Then we will see."