Leeds United v Manchester United Match Thread

[Ellandback1]

Sunday 4th January 12:30pm | Elland Road


The bitter rivalry between Leeds United and Manchester United will be on full display this Sunday as the Red Devils travel to Elland Road for what promises to be an intense "War of the Roses" clash. The historical animosity between the two sides stems from a complex mix of cultural, industrial, and on-pitch factors that have fuelled the fire of this long-standing feud. The Reds may have enjoyed recent success in West Yorkshire, winning their last two away league games at Elland Road, but no Manchester United side has ever managed three consecutive victories at LS11.

For Ruben Amorim’s men, confidence might be buoyed by those recent results, but form and fitness are painting a less rosy picture. They have conceded in each of their last 14 Premier League away outings, a run of defensive vulnerability not seen since the mid-80s, when they went 15 games without a clean sheet on the road between September 1985 and April 1986. With Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire still nursing injuries and Noussair Mazraoui away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Amorim’s backline options are paper-thin.





The injury list doesn’t stop in defence. Captain Bruno Fernandes remains side-lined, along with midfielders Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo, three creative engines gone in one swoop. On the wings, Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo’s unavailability narrows attacking choices, opening the door for Joshua Zirkzee to start up front despite being subbed off at halftime in the Wolves match. The Dutchman has only netted twice this season, including the opener against Wolves, but has only managed 440 minutes of Premier League game time.

Leeds, meanwhile, aren’t exactly at full strength either. Skipper Ethan Ampadu serves a one-match suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, losing not just a leader but a tenacious presence in midfield. Fellow Welshmen Joe Rodon (ankle ligament) and Dan James (thigh) are also absent, leaving gaps that need filling. There’s a glimmer of hope, though: Sean Longstaff has returned to light training after a calf issue, though he’s still at-least a fortnight from first-team action.

AO Tanaka likely slots in for Ampadu, with Ilia Gruev expected to fill in as the holding midfielder. In defence, Sebastiaan Bornauw and James Justin battle for the central spot left by Rodon, with Jayden Bogle poised for a recall at right-back after rotation. Upfront, the big news is the return of leading scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Whether he leads the line alone or partners Lucas Nmecha in a two-man attack remains to be seen, but his physical presence and aerial threat could be pivotal against a shaky Manchester Utd backline.

[Ellandback1]

-------------------------------Perri-------------------------------
-------------Justin-------Bijol-------Struijk------------------
Bogle--Aaronson--Tanaka--Stach--Gudmundsson
--------------Mmecha--------------DCL-----------------------

[Ellandback1]

No way can we leave JJ out after his performance against Liverpool. Best player on the pitch.

[Sean_Nile]

In essence, this matchup is like two damaged warships limping into battle: both are low in the water and neither are seaworthy enough for a clean victory, ACON and injuries have spiked Amorim's guns.

Predictions lean toward both teams to score and a draw... or high-goal frenzy, as the "leaks" (defensive frailties) outweigh structural strength.

Which ship will sink depends of how the captains maneuver the ships. Farke in recent weeks has steered Leeds well, whereas Amorim has a ship without a rudder... and are a sitting duck, and an easy target, about to be sunk by the mobility of Leeds

[Clitheroe White]

So the bottom of the table results all went our way today.

Makes the potential gain of points tomorrow even more impactful! Here’s hoping we can deliver.

[LUFC DAVE 7]

In essence, this matchup is like two damaged warships limping into battle: both are low in the water and neither are seaworthy enough for a clean victory, ACON and injuries have spiked Amorim's guns.

Predictions lean toward both teams to score and a draw... or high-goal frenzy, as the "leaks" (defensive frailties) outweigh structural strength.

Which ship will sink depends of how the captains maneuver the ships. Farke in recent weeks has steered Leeds well, whereas Amorim has a ship without a rudder... and are a sitting duck, and an easy target, about to be sunk by the mobility of Leeds

Or Farke just sends out all his subs.

[1964white]

No way can we leave JJ out after his performance against Liverpool. Best player on the pitch.

Apparently, Justin can take a long throw.

[WhiteRose]

Obviously it’s a big game today, it’s Man U at home but it feels massive in terms of results, we get a win today and for the time being at least we can stop looking over our shoulder and maybe start to believe we can climb a bit higher up the table - it’s surreal really given where we were just a handful of weeks ago.

[The Subhuman]

[Chilli D]

Bogle must be injured

[Clitheroe White]

Glad we have the same back 3.

Justin over Bogle - bogle still recovering or preferring defensive solidity?

Interesting to pick okafor ahead of nemacha

[CUSSIE01]

Good to see Bornauw fit to play rather than playing too many out of position. That looks like a decent team with a good strong bench, feeling confident today.

[CUSSIE01]

Glad we have the same back 3.

Justin over Bogle - bogle still recovering or preferring defensive solidity?

Interesting to pick okafor ahead of nemacha

Okafor can change a game in the blink of an eye but I’d like to see him do a bit more off the ball.

[Onemanstanding]

I think it will be a good atmosphere at Elland Road, even though it is an early kick off.

[Sean_Nile]

[White Riot]

It's good to see Bornauw and Justin retain their places. Considering their lack of match time I thought both were excellent against Liverpool.

Nmecha offers very little imo, he's a big lad with no physical presence and wasn't even trying to compete for headers against Liverpool.

DCL is the polar opposite to Nmecha, competes for every ball and is a constant threat. He leads by example and I've been surprised and impressed by his dedication to our cause. He's probably saved Farke's job with his goalscoring.

A striker that wins aerial duels, stays near the penalty spot and scores ticks all the boxes for me. I'm not into all this running about s**t and chasing the ball to the corner flag, we have nine others who can do that.

Okafor would always be the preferred option alongside DCL for me, as he has pace, skill and an eye for goal. If we keep playing him the goals and assists will flow.

Tanaka seems to have fallen out of favour with Farke. I think he's more comfortable with running machines than skill players. Stach, Aaronson and Gruev have done really well lately, but that's a lot of minutes and a quick turnaround from Liverpool.

I'd have rested Gruev and given Tanaka a start as we should be taking the game to a very shaky Man U. I'm not convinced by Amorin at all, going defensive at home to Wolves is unforgivable.

We should push for a win today, as this would take us ten points above West Ham with 14 goals better goal difference.

If we win this then I just don't see us being part of the relegation battle for the rest of the season.

The bottom three look doomed already.

[Carrick Dave]

Scum: Lammens; Yoro, Heaven, Martinez (c); Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Shaw; Dorgu, Cunha; Sesko.

Substitutes: Bayindir, Fredricson, Kukonki, Malacia, J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Lacey, Mantato, Zirkzee.

[Sean_Nile]

boo hiss big time mega drips

[White Riot]

Good to see Bornauw fit to play rather than playing too many out of position. That looks like a decent team with a good strong bench, feeling confident today.

I wouldn't put Byram, Longstaff and Harrison in the strong category

Maybe for League One

[The Subhuman]

Oh god, Longstaff's back..that's ruined my day