Leeds vs Man Utd: Preview | Confirmed Team News | Expected Line-ups | Prediction

This Sunday, Manchester United take a trip to Elland Road for the first time in 18 years where they will face Leeds in their next Premier League away fixture.

The last time these two teams met at Old Trafford in December, Man Utd had a triumphant 6-2 win over Leeds in what was a thrilling and action-packed game.

Man Utd currently sit in second place in the Premier League table with 66 points, 11 points behind Man City. Whereas, Leeds Utd are currently sitting in tenth place with 46 points, 3 points behind Everton in eighth place.

Both Man Utd and Leeds Utd are unbeaten in their last five league games, therefore this fixture looks set to be another exciting meeting.

Team News

Leeds Utd will be without captain, Liam Cooper, due to suspension. Other doubts include Raphinha and Rodrigo.

Giving an update on the two players in his pre-match press conference, Marcelo Bielsa said, “With Raphinha, we are controlling his evolution on a daily basis. Up until now, he hasn’t recovered sufficiently to be able to train again”.

Speaking about Rodrigo, Bielsa confirmed that he “is in the last stages of recovery but not well enough to feature this weekend against Manchester United”.

Man United have benefitted from having a rare full weeks’ worth of rest and training, as there was no mid-week European fixture. Anthony Martial and Phil Jones are still out with injuries.

Marcus Rashford is another doubt for the game having not been able to take part in training last week due to an ongoing ankle injury. Although Solskjaer has told club media that he is still hopeful Rashford will be involved on Sunday, stating “Marcus hasn’t trained but I hope that he will join us tomorrow”.

Every other Utd player is fit and available for selection, with the added boost of Eric Bailly having returned to training last Monday after recovering from COVID-19.

Speaking about the game, Solskjaer said, “everyone has had a couple of days of recovery and a week of preparation and training. You need that against these. They make you go to the edge physically and mentally. They have a unique style of play and it’s a game we’re looking forward to.”

Expected Line-ups

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Henderson; Wan-bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood; Cavani

Dean Henderson, who has featured in Utd’s last few Premier League games, will likely get the nod in goal ahead of David de Gea.

At the back, even with the return of Eric Bailly, it is likely to stay the same as their previous game with all four players having had a week’s rest.

In the middle, Fred and McTominay may retain their partnership after proving to be defensively reliable for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ahead of them, Bruno Fernandes will almost certainly retain his place as the attacking midfielder.

With Rashford still suffering with an ankle injury, Paul Pogba may be recalled to the left wing after putting in some impressive performances as of late. Mason Greenwood may also retain his position on the right-wing after his two goal match-winning performance against Burnley last weekend.

Edinson Cavani may therefore lead the line for Utd with Anthony Martial still out with a knee injury.

Donny van de Beek will have to settle for a place on the bench, however he will be pushing for a recall after getting some rare playing time last weekend against Burnley.

Leeds Utd (4-4-1-1): Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Alioski; Costa, Phillips, Dallas, Harrison; Roberts; Bamford.

With Liam Cooper and Rodrigo out of contention for the game and Raphinha yet to re-join the squad in training, there is a chance Bielsa will stick with the same starting line-up as was used against Liverpool.

Score prediction

The 6-2 score line from their previous meeting is unlikely to be repeated as both teams are now positioned comfortably in the league table. Nevertheless, this game still has all the foundations to be an entertaining affair, with Utd’s impressive away record partnered with Leeds current run of good form, alongside both teams counter-attacking style of football.

Therefore, the score prediction for this game is: Leeds United 2 – 3 Man United