Man United vs. Leeds United
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 5:30PM
Old rivals renew hostilities this afternoon as Manchester United welcome Leeds United to Old Trafford for the first league meeting between the two sides since February 2004.
The hosts come into the match now sitting sixth in the Premier League table with a game in hand over most of the teams around them, while Leeds were big winners against Newcastle United last time out.
A first league meeting between these two sides for more than 16 years will inevitably evoke memories of the fierce battles this rivalry has thrown up in years gone by, and there is no doubt that this fixture is one of those which the Premier League missed most during Leeds’ absence.
For Leeds fans looking for a good omen ahead of their long-awaited league trip to Old Trafford, this match comes on the 90th anniversary of their biggest ever victory over Man United – a 5-0 win at Elland Road in 1930.
Leeds also memorably won on their last visit to Old Trafford almost 11 years ago, when Jermaine Beckford fired the then-League One outfit to victory over a side that had made it to the Champions League final the previous year.
Another triumph for the visitors today would be nowhere near as big a shock as that, but it would certainly defy the history of this fixture, with Man United having lost just one of their last 13 top-flight games against Leeds.
At home, Man United have played more Premier League games against Leeds without losing than against any other club, with the Whites’ last league triumph at Old Trafford coming way back in February 1981 – 15 games ago.
Old Trafford is by no means the fortress it used to be at the moment, though, with the Red Devils having won just one of their last eight Premier League games on their own patch.
Only three teams have picked up fewer points at home all season, and perhaps even more worrying is the fact that only Burnley have scored fewer home goals than Man United’s measly tally of three from six games so far.
Just one of those goals has come in their last four home outings too, and should that drought continue this weekend then Man United would equal an unwanted club record of failing to score more than once in eight consecutive top-flight matches – something they have only done once before, and that was way back in 1920.
In spite of that, Man United’s league position remains relatively strong; the sixth-placed Red Devils are only two points adrift of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur and boast a game in hand over every other team in the top half apart from Manchester City.
Indeed, while their home form will be a concern, their faultless away record means that they have now picked up 16 points from the last 18 on offer in the league, leaving them top of the form table despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finding himself under pressure once again.
Thursday night’s 3-2 win over Sheffield United sparked more suggestions from within the squad that Man United could even be capable of a title challenge this season, although that theory is set to be tested over the packed Christmas schedule.
Solskjaer’s men face Everton in the EFL Cup quarter-finals three days after this match before taking on Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa – a run of five games in the space of just 12 days.
Leeds’ schedule is a little less hectic due to their elimination from the EFL Cup, while upcoming matches against Burnley and West Bromwich Albion immediately after Christmas mean that they can afford to focus fully on what is one of their biggest games of the season.
Inconsistency has been the issue for Marcelo Bielsa’s side so far, with five wins and six defeats among their 13 outings, including just two wins from their last seven.
The most recent of those came on Wednesday night, though, as a late flurry sealed a 5-2 triumph over Newcastle United at Elland Road.
In a bizarre twist of fate, that is the third time they have scored five goals in their last league game before facing Manchester United, and the previous two also came against Newcastle at around Christmas time.
Leeds lost one and drew one of those subsequent meetings with the Red Devils, but will be hoping for even better than that on Sunday given their opponents’ home woes this season.
Manchester United possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Pogba, Fernandes, Martial, Rashford
Leeds United possible XI: Meslier, Dallas, Ayling, Cooper, Alioski, Phillips, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Hernandez, Harrison, Bamford.