Man Utd vs Leeds – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

This heated clash, often called the “Roses Rivalry”, sees the Red Devils in third spot and the Whites in 15^th position. Man Utd are unbeaten in eight clashes vs Leeds.

Man Utd Form

Manchester United made an incredible start under Michael Carrick, winning his first four matches in charge. Overall, it’s 23 points from 10 matches since he took over and that has seen United jump to third in the table. They beat Man City 2-0, won 3-2 at Arsenal and then 2-1 vs Fulham after late winner. A dominant 2-0 win over Tottenham came against ten men.

They rescued a late 1-1 draw away at West Ham and won 1-0 at Everton. A 2-1 home win over Crystal Palace saw a 20-8 shot count, before a poor loss at Newcastle. They faced ten men for an entire half but leaked a late goal to lose at St. James’ Park. They beat Aston Villa 3-1 at home before surrendering a lead in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

Man Utd Team News

Manchester United are without the injured Matthijs de Ligt and the suspended Harry Maguire is defence. Lisandro Martinez is back in training and could start, whilst Patrick Dorgu is out long-term.

Benjamin Sesko, Diogo Dalot and Bryan Mbuemo are expected to feature. All three have been dealing with knocks or illness.

Man Utd Motivation

United are playing well and will be hugely motivated for this grudge clash. Nothing less than a win will be seen as a good result.

The Red Devils will look to dominate possession. They know Leeds will sit back and use fast breaks and long balls.  

Leeds Form

Daniel Farke’s Leeds side sit 15^th in the league table. They are three points above the relegation zone with seven matches left to play. On the road, they have the division’s 18th-best record with a solitary win 15 league fixtures on their travels (seven draws, seven losses). They had a fine run of 20 points from 14 league matches, losing just twice.

Things have been less impressive seen then as they lost two of drew two of their last four EPL matches. A 1-0 home loss to Man City was followed by a 1-0 home loss to Sunderland. They beat Norwich 3-0 in the FA Cup before successive 0-0 league draws: away at Crystal Palace and at home to Brentford. Their last match saw a 2-2 draw at West Ham in the FA Cup before progressing to the semi-final on penalties.

Leeds Team News

Anton Stach is ruled out in midfield for this one. Joe Rodon is absent in defence and speedy winger Dan James is also missing.

Noah Okafor should return after a back problem. Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson will need late fitness tests.

Leeds Motivation

Leeds will be eager to avoid losing to their rivals. A draw at Old Trafford would be a superb result.

They’re likely to sit deep in a back five and look for quick counters. They won’t care about having more than 30% possession.

Key Stats

• Man Utd have won 7 of their last 10 matches
• Man Utd’s Benjamin Sesko has scored 8 goals in his last 472 minutes of football
• Leeds have lost just 4 of their last 18 league matches
• Leeds are winless in 6 league matches (4 draws, 2 losses)
• Leeds are winless in 8 matches vs Man Utd (5 losses)

Verdict

Leeds won’t make life easy for the hosts in this match. However, Carrick’s side has a lot of attacking quality and should take the three points.

Feature Bet: Man Utd win, Over 2.5 goals and Sesko to score anytime at 3.20

Best Bet: Man Utd win and Over 2.5 goals at 2.25