Leeds United have taken eight points from their last four games – a tough run of fixtures that included Chelsea, Liverpool and Crystal Palace – and now head north, looking to maintain their momentum as they take on fellow promoted side Sunderland on Sunday afternoon at the Stadium of Light.
Last Saturday, the Whites welcomed Crystal Palace to Elland Road, who boasted the best away record in the division. But it was to be total domination for United, however, running away 4-1 victors thanks to a brace from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and goals from Anton Stach and captain Ethan Ampadu – his first ever in the Premier League.
In their three matches prior, Leeds scored seven goals. That began with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Chelsea, before deserved draws against Premier League champions Liverpool on home soil and a 1-1 draw in the capital against Brentford.
It has been a very merry December for the Whites and they will aim to make it even brighter on Wearside by continuing their impressive run of results.
Top scorer Calvert-Lewin is in his career-best goalscoring form, with six goals in his last five matches. The England international’s streak is now the longest active one in Europe’s top five leagues!
Daniel Farke’s team are currently 16th in the table after the first 17 matches, and now come up against a team with whom they did battle on their way to winning the Sky Bet Championship title.
The Black Cats secured promotion through the Play-Off Final, defeating Sheffield United 2-1 with a a last-minute winner under the famous Wembley arch.
On their return to the big stage, Sunderland are in fine form, buoyed by a busy summer. Last weekend, they drew 0-0 away to Brighton. Régis Le Bris’ side have beaten the likes of Chelsea, Bournemouth and arch-rivals Newcastle this season, and have drawn with Aston Villa, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Over the years, there have been some memorable encounters between the two teams. They have faced off against one another 91 times, with Leeds winning 40 and drawing 18 of those matches, dating back to a First Division encounter in 1924.
Last season, the Whites took four points off the Black Cats – their win coming in a thrilling, dramatic 2-1 affair, with Pascal Struijk on the scoresheet twice with two headers from Joe Rothwell deliveries. His second, in the 95th minute, sent Elland Road into ecstasy.
Action from the Stadium of Light gets underway at 2pm, and you can follow all the action across leedsunited.com, as well as on LUTV.
We’ve met before:
Team news:
Speaking to the media at Thorp Arch, Farke admitted that the match has come too soon for Sean Longstaff with Daniel James still also unavailable as the Wales international makes his way back from injury. Lukas Nmecha has been back in training and may be in contention to travel.
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 1:30pm with Stuart Dallas and Dom Matteo in the studio! The match has also been selected for television coverage in the UK by Sky Sports.
The view from inside the camp:
Ahead of the match, Joe Rodon spoke exclusively to Premier League Productions and said: “I think it has been really positive over the last couple of weeks.
“I think we have kind of built that momentum and confidence for the whole group. So, I think the feeling in the club is always good when you are winning.
“It is important to ride these moments and take them as they come and, of course, carrying it on into the weekend. This season is going to be full of ups and downs. It is important now with a really good run that we are on to embrace it and of course enjoy it.”
Read the full interview HERE.
Important supporter information:
A large number of items are prohibited from being taken into the Stadium of Light. These include, but are not limited to, coins, power banks and vapes. Travelling fans are encouraged to download and read the Away Supporters Guide from the Sunderland website, with information on the search policy on pages 10 and 11.
On matchday, supporters are advised that there are significant engineering works being carried out between Leeds and York, with no direct services between the two and reduced replacement bus service capacity. Fans are asked to check if their travel plans are disrupted and change accordingly. More information can be found HERE.
Discriminatory language or 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.
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.
What has Daniel Farke said ahead of the match?
League position:
Leeds: 16th
Sunderland: 6th
Top scorer:
Leeds: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7)
Sunderland: Wilson Isidor (4)
Officials
Referee: Tony Harrington
Assistant referees: Steven Meredith & Alistair Nelson
Fourth official: Simon Hooper
Video Assistant Referee: Matthew Donohue
Additional Video Assistant Referee: Timothy Wood
More supporter information can be found HERE.
