Kick-off: 1400, 12/02/2023
Stadium: Elland Road
TV: Sky Sports
Leeds ruffled Manchester United with their energy, enthusiasm and physical approach at Old Trafford and could do the same on home turf.
The Red Devils recovered in time to secure a share of the spoils in midweek, but clearly missed some key players who will again be absent here.
We feel 19/20 for the Whites to avoid defeat at a fired-up Elland Road is hard to resist with our first Leeds vs Man Utd prediction.
Leeds United Odds
Leeds looked on course for a first league win at Old Trafford since 1981 when leading 2-0 with an hour gone.
The Whites scored early in either half, through Wilfried Gnonto just 55 seconds in and then Raphael Varane’s own goal three minutes after the interval.
Marcus Rashford and substitute Jadon Sancho rescued a point for the Red Devils, who had been chasing a 13th straight home win.
However, caretaker manager Michael Skubala heaped deserved praise on his players, having seen them hustle and harry all night.
“I’m really proud of the players,” he said. “I thought they did really well.
“I’m a bit disappointed because I thought we did enough to win the game, but it was really good.
“The most rewarding part is how in the last moments we saw out the game. At the end, we had to dig deep and show personality to get the point.”
Leeds have gone eight league games without a win but played with more freedom following the dismissal of Jesse Marsch.
Gnonto looks a hot prospect and his direct approach unsettled Diogo Dalot on his return from a month out.
Looking at the Leeds vs Man Utd odds, the 19-year-old Italian is 3/1 to make it five goals in eight games here.
Last Leeds line-up: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Struijk, Wober, Harrison, Adams, Sinisterra, McKennie, Gnonto, Bamford.
Leeds are hoping skipper Liam Cooper, midfielder Marc Roca and winger Luis Sinisterra can all recover from muscle strains but defender Pascal Struijk misses out through concussion.
Manchester United Odds
Erik Ten Hag’s side badly missed the calming influence of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in midfield on a frenetic night at Old Trafford.
But after the Dutch boss sent on Sancho and Facundo Pellistri just before the hour mark to change the shape of his attack, it brought instant dividends.
It was Sancho’s first goal since mid-September, with the 22-year-old suffering a loss of confidence after being left out of England’s World Cup squad.
“I am really happy he is in the right direction,” Ten Hag said. “I hope he can keep this momentum going and I am sure it will strengthen him and motivate him to do even more.
“As you can see, he is a brilliant footballer and if he can invest in the right levels he can be outstanding.
“I think we now have a team that can dictate a game, can play more in the opponent’s half. He likes that, he can play in tight areas, he can make the difference. The second goal shows it.”
The Red Devils’ slim hopes of getting involved in the title race took a hit with two points dropped, but Ten Hag hailed his team’s resilient fightback.
United have been far more fragile on the road, though, losing four times and conceding more away goals than any other side in the top half of the table.
Let’s take a punt on 21/4 for a home win and both teams to score to finish off our Leeds vs Man Utd betting tips.
Last Man Utd line-up: De Gea, Martinez, Varane, Dalot, Shaw, Fernandes, Rashford, Sabitzer, Fred, Garnacho, Weghorst.
Casemiro completes the second of a three-match domestic ban. Ten Hag does not expect Antony, Anthony Martial or Scott McTominay back at Elland Road, while Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek are long-term absentees.
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