Match Preview: Manchester United vs. Leeds
Manchester United finally return to Premier League action next Monday evening (13 April), when we host rivals Leeds United at Old Trafford. The Reds have had a 24-day wait for this fixture and are first set to spend four days in Dublin to prepare for the final run-in. Michael Carrick’s side are bidding to qualify for the UEFA Champions League and have just seven games to go before the end of 2025/26 campaign.
Next up to visit M16 are the Whites, for another installment of United’s intense rivalry, with Leeds in buoyant mood having recently progressed to the semi-finals of the Emirates FA Cup. United have an impressive recent record against Leeds and haven’t tasted defeat against our old foes in any fixture since a shock FA Cup third-round reverse in January 2010. It’s eight games unbeaten against the Whites, with our latest meeting a 1-1 draw at Elland Road earlier this season.
Brenden Aaronson opened the scoring, before Joshua Zirkzee teed up Matheus Cunha for the equaliser in West Yorkshire. Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu was pictured back on the grass at Carrington last week, as he steps up his return from injury. While there is currently no timeline on his recovery, we hope to see him back in a United shirt for the vital run-in.
We expect Carrick to provide an update on Dorgu, as well as the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, before the contest, with his pre-match press conference set to take place on Saturday. Harry Maguire is suspended, following his red card against Bournemouth. Leeds had a clean bill of health heading into their cup semi-final, but Anton Stach and Joe Rodon were both withdrawn early due to ankle injuries, and it remains to be seen if there is any longer-term damage for the pair.