Manchester United vs Leeds United – 08/02/2023, 8:00pm
Leeds will head over the Pennines on Wednesday, for the first of back-to-back games against Manchester United, managerless.
Jesse Marsch was sacked on Monday after just two wins from their last 17 Premier League games.
Rene Maric, Cameron Toshack and Pierre Barrieu have also left the club.
Michael Skubala, Paco Gallardo and Chris Armas will take training at Thorp Arch on Tuesday and will be in the dugout at Old Trafford, although Armas’ long-term future is in doubt after being brought in by Marsch last month.
Marsch can consider himself unlucky at getting the boot. Their performances have not been rewarded with the points they deserved, leaving the club perilously close to the relegation zone.
The West Yorkshire side are only above the drop zone on goal difference and are just three points off the bottom of the table.
Just what impact Marsch’s departure will leave on the players remains to be seen. He was well liked behind the scenes and a win at Liverpool showed the potential he had at the club.
Leeds followed that up with a home win over Bournemouth, but since then they have gone seven games without a win in the league.
Their first-half performance at Forest was impressive but they wasted a number of chances, failed to find the net and then switched off to allow Brennan Johnson to volley home the winner on the edge of the box.
It’s that lack of cutting edge and tendency to lose concentration that has been the story of their season.
They look capable of escaping the drop and the win at Liverpool proves that, but they need a win from somewhere and Old Trafford has not been a hospitable place for them in recent years.
There will be no new-manager bounce either, with a new man yet to be appointed.
Leeds did famously win against Man Utd in the FA Cup in 2010, but their recent visits have ended in heavy defeats.
The Whites have lost 6-2 and 5-1 in recent years and they are 6/1 shots to stop the rot with a famous away win.
Their cause has been helped by the absence of the suspended Casemiro. New signing Marcel Sabitzer could replace him for the hosts.
Erik ten Hag’s men edged past Crystal Palace 2-1 at the weekend and they have closed the gap on second-placed Man City to three points.
At home they have dropped just five points and their xG on home soil (1.92) sees them sixth in the table.
They are a team in confident mood and their scorers against Palace – Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford – will cause Leeds plenty of problems.
That said, Leeds can put up a fight and have a midfield who are more than capable of getting to grips with the hosts. Their xG away from home (1.51) is also respectable and has them placed 10th, but in reality they have the second-worst record in the division.
They just look fragile in big moments and have not been anywhere near clinical enough to date.
With that in mind, it makes it hard to back Leeds to repeat their win at Liverpool. But by no means will this be a cricket score, like it has been in recent seasons.
Don’t back against Leeds giving Ten Hag’s men a run for their money, but the hosts’ class in attacking areas should eventually see them home.
Key stats
- Man Utd have scored at least four goals in their last three home matches against Leeds in all competitions
- Man Utd have been winning at both half-time and full-time in five of their last six matches against Leeds in all competitions
- Man Utd have won five of their last six matches against Leeds in all competitions.
- Man Utd have seen over 2.5 goals in five of their last six matches against Leeds in all competitions
- Man Utd have won their last four games in all competitions
- Leeds have won just two of their last 11 games in all competitions (both in the cup)
- Leeds have won just two of their last 17 games in the PL
Suggested bets
- Manchester United vs Leeds United BTTS – 3/4
- Leeds to score first – 11/5
- Manchester United to win 2-1 correct score – 7/1
- Manchester United to win 3-1 correct score – 10/1
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
