Leeds United are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games – a stretch that has included defending Premier League champions Liverpool twice, alongside Chelsea and Crystal Palace. In that time, the team have collected ten points and will be keen to continue their impressive form against rivals Manchester United on Sunday.
On New Year’s Day, the Whites headed to Merseyside to take on Liverpool and produced an incredible defensive performance to hold Reds to their first ever 0-0 draw under boss Arne Slot, keeping a thoroughly deserved clean sheet.
Just days before, the Whites earned another point, this time against fellow promoted side Sunderland, as they came back from down a goal through a brilliantly worked 11-man move that culminated in a Brenden Aaronson assist and a Dominic Calvert-Lewin finish. The England international has scored in each of his last six starts!
The previous weekend, the striker’s brace propelled Leeds to a 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace, who to that point boasted the best away record in the division.
In their three matches prior, United were dominant against Chelsea – winning emphatically 3-1 – and picked up draws against the Reds on home soil and in the capital against Brentford.
Daniel Farke’s team are currently 16th in the table after the first 19 matches and now face Manchester United for the first time this season.
The opposition have struggled in recent weeks, taking just 14 points from an available 30, and drew at home to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek in a match that ended the visitors’ 12-game run of defeats.
Over the years, there have been many memorable encounters between the two teams. The Whites’ most recent win against Sunday’s visitors came in the FA Cup, with Jermaine Beckford scoring the lone goal as Leeds progressed to the fourth round in 2010.
Action from Elland Road gets underway at 12:30pm and you can follow all the action across leedsunited.com, as well as on LUTV.
Team News:
Ahead of the encounter, Farke conceded Ethan Ampadu will join Daniel James, Sean Longstaff and Joe Rodon on the sidelines, serving a one-match suspension. The boss hopes to have Ilia Gruev and Sebastiaan Bornauw available, after the pair impressed at Anfield last time out.
How to follow:
Monthly audio subscribers around the world can listen to every minute of Sunday’s fixture LIVE on LUTV. Bryn Law will be joined by Tony Dorigo on commentary. Pre-match build up begins at 12pm with Nigel Martyn and Simon Grayson in the studio! The match has also been selected for television coverage in the UK by TNT Sports.
The view from inside the camp:
Speaking exclusively to Premier League productions, midfielder Anton Stach said: “I heard from many people that the rivalry is very big.
“Of course, we try to win this game, also for the fans [so] that they have a good day. I think we need to give not 110 per cent, 150 per cent maybe. And then, of course, the most important for us are the points but it is also prestige.
“Many teams hopefully don’t like to play away at Elland Road and this is what we try to make to them, that they don’t feel comfortable in the game. Just be good in the duels, make it not easy to create chances for them and then hopefully get some points.”
Read the full interview HERE.
Important supporter information:
To ensure the safety of all supporters, numerous measures are in place both pre and post-match regarding ingress and egress at Elland Road, notably in the John Charles West Stand. Supporters are urged to read the important information HERE. The measures are implemented for the safety and security of all supporters.
- Live Facial Recognition:
West Yorkshire Police Live Facial Recognition vans will be operating in Leeds city centre and Beeston for the Leeds United v Manchester United match on Sunday 4th January, helping to keep people who are attending the match safer.
You can find out more about how West Yorkshire Police use Live Facial Recognition to prevent crime, ensure your privacy and help keep their communities safer HERE.
Discriminatory language or chanting, including tragedy chanting, is not acceptable, and you could be breaking the law. The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
To report an incident, text LEEDS along with any relevant information including ticket details, your name and description of an incident to 60006. You will then receive an automated response which means that your report has been logged and will then be looked into.
Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle dangerous and illegal behaviours within football grounds, and this involves but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour, tragedy chanting, fans entering the pitch, the use of pyros and throwing objects.
More supporter information can be found HERE.
What has Daniel Farke said ahead of the match?
League position:
Leeds United: 16th
Manchester United: 6th
Top scorer:
Leeds United: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (8)
Manchester United: Bryan Mbeumo (6)
Officials
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistant referees: Neil Davies & Scott Ledger
Fourth official: Robert Jones
Video Assistant Referee: James Bell
Additional Video Assistant Referee: Ian Hussin
