One of the standout fixtures on the Premier League calendar will take place at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon as Leeds United welcome bitter rivals Manchester United.
Leeds have impressed on their return to this level of football and currently sit 10th in the table, while Man United occupy second spot, seven points clear of third-placed Leicester City.
Match preview
Despite the size of the club, securing survival was always going to be Leeds' number one priority this season, meaning that any position 17th or higher would have been considered a success on their return to this level.
The Whites have performed above expectations, though, with a total of 46 points from 32 matches leaving them in 10th position in the table, just three points behind eighth-placed Everton.
A top-seven spot looks to be beyond Marcelo Bielsa's side at this stage, but they will certainly be eyeing a top-half finish and will enter this weekend's clash in strong form.
Unbeaten in their last five in the Premier League, Leeds have held Chelsea and Liverpool, in addition to beating Fulham, Sheffield United and Manchester City, since losing 2-0 at West Ham United on March 8.
Securing four points from their last two matches against Man City and Liverpool means that Bielsa's side will enter Sunday's contest full of confidence.
Man United thumped Leeds 6-2 at Old Trafford in the reverse match back in December but will be heading to Elland Road in the Premier League for the first time since October 2003, when Roy Keane scored the winner in a 1-0 success for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
The Red Devils were one of six English clubs to be confirmed as founding members of the European Super League last weekend, but the breakaway competition has been left in disarray following a number of withdrawals, with the 20-time English champions among them.
Head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be keen to return to on-the-field matters this weekend, and his side will enter the clash with Leeds off the back of five straight wins in all competitions.
Man United will take on Roma in the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the first leg to take place at Old Trafford on Thursday, while their next league game after this one is at home to Liverpool.
A 3-1 victory over Burnley last weekend moved the Red Devils onto 66 points from 32 matches, which has left them comfortably inside the top four, 11 points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United on the same number of games, while as mentioned, they are also seven points clear of third-placed Leicester.
- L
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
Leeds will again be without the services of captain Liam Cooper this weekend through suspension, while Rodrigo and Adam Forshaw will both miss the match through injury.
The Whites are hopeful that Raphinha might recover from a thigh problem in time for the contest, but it seems unlikely that the attacker will be involved against the 20-time English champions.
Bielsa could ultimately decide to name an unchanged XI from the one that started against Liverpool, with Tyler Roberts again supporting Patrick Bamford from a deeper position.
As for Man United, Anthony Martial and Phil Jones are still unavailable for selection through injury, but Eric Bailly is back in training after recovering from coronavirus and should be on the bench.
Marcus Rashford is yet to train this week as he manages a foot problem, but the England international has not been ruled out of this match and could potentially be involved at some stage.
Edinson Cavani came off the bench to score against Burnley last weekend, and the experienced forward could now feature in the starting XI, with Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes also set to line up in attacking positions for Solskjaer's side, who should have Fred and Scott McTominay as their midfield two.
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Alioski; Costa, Phillips, Dallas, Harrison; Roberts; Bamford
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Henderson; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood; Cavani
We say: Leeds United 2-2 Manchester United
This has all the makings of a very entertaining game of football at Elland Road; there is not a great deal of pressure on either side in the Premier League at the moment, which should create an open affair. Man United's away record this season has again been terrific, but we fancy Leeds to secure a share of the spoils against their bitter rivals.
Top tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
body check tags ::
Previews by email
