Overview
In a season of transition, Manchester United enters a decisive phase when they welcome Leeds United at Old Trafford.
After a 24-day break - combined with a training trip to the Republic of Ireland - the Old Trafford team returned with better fitness, in the context of being eliminated early in domestic cups and not participating in European cups.
This break inadvertently became an advantage for Michael Carrick's team to prepare for the Premier League sprint. Since the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, Man United's position in the top 5 race has been strengthened, as fifth place has been confirmed to qualify for the Champions League.
However, before the pursuit of Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea, the "Red Devils" are not allowed to make mistakes in the remaining 7 rounds. At the same time, this is also an opportunity for Carrick to prove his ability for the official seat.
Under Carrick, Man United is showing impressive form at home. He has won all 6 matches at Old Trafford as coach (one match in 2021 and 5 matches this season). In the Premier League era, only Carlo Ancelotti (7), Sven-Goran Eriksson (9) and Manuel Pellegrini (11) had a better start.
Since Carrick took over on January 17, Man United has won 23/30 maximum points (7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), following the 1-1 draw with Leeds at the end of Ruben Amorim's reign.
In the opposite direction, Leeds aims to avoid defeat in both legs against Man United - something they have not done since the 1994-1995 season.
Despite struggling to stay in the league, Daniel Farke's team still showed discomfort when drawing 7/8 of their most recent away matches in the Premier League. Leeds also just won a ticket to the FA Cup semi-finals after a victory thanks to Lucas Perri's excellent performance.
However, Leeds' biggest problem is the attack. They have not scored in the last 4 matches in the Premier League - the longest goalless streak in the league at the moment. The winning streak has extended to 6 matches, and the memory of 1982 - when they went through 6 matches without scoring before relegation - is present.
Leeds have also not won 12 consecutive away matches since the victory over Wolves in September, and head-to-head history does not favor the away team. Man United are unbeaten in 18 home games against Leeds (11 wins, 7 draws) since 1981. This season, they have won 10/15 matches at Old Trafford and are on a 9-match unbeaten home streak in the Premier League.
The leader of the "Red Devils" continues to be Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder has created 101 chances in the Premier League this season - the third time he has reached the milestone of 100 chances in a season.
Against Leeds, Fernandes was also extremely effective with 8 assists in 6 matches (6 goals, 2 assists).
In terms of strength, Man United is missing Harry Maguire due to suspension, while the return of Lisandro Martinez is very important when Matthijs de Ligt may continue to be absent.
On Leeds' side, Daniel James, Anton Stach and Joe Rodon are all injured, while Noah Okafor, Jaka Bijol and Gabriel Gudmundsson are unlikely to play.
Head-to-head record
Leeds United have never beaten Man United in 10 Premier League encounters since a 1-0 home win in September 2002.
In the most recent encounter in January, the two teams drew 1-1. Brenden Aaronson opened the score for Leeds in the second half, before Matheus Cunha equalized less than 3 minutes later.
More broadly, Man United has only lost 1 in their last 20 Premier League encounters with Leeds (won 12, drew 7).
Score prediction: Man United 1-0 Leeds United
The match between Man United and Leeds United takes place at 2:00 a.m. on April 14 (Vietnam time).
