Manchester United catapulted themselves back into Champions League contention earlier this week, moving into fourth place with a crucial 2-0 win over Brighton. Going into this weekend, Ralf Rangnick's men will be desperate to build on the events of Tuesday's victory.
Manchester United (4th, 43 points) makes the relatively short journey to Elland Road to take on Leeds United (15th, 23 points), as they look to make further inroads towards continental qualification for European football next campaign. The fixture will be a good opportunity for the Reds to add to their points tally, with Leeds conceding an average of 2.00 goals per game in the Premier League thus far.
However, Marcelo Bielsa's side is an exciting outfit that is capable of beating anyone on a given day, creating the prospect of an intriguing encounter as both sides fight to move up the league standings. Manchester United has little room for complacency, with West Ham and Arsenal in close pursuit should they fail to come away from Elland Road with three points.
Leeds, on the other hand, will be looking to steer themselves further away from the relegation zone, as sides below them such as Norwich City hope to see them dragged into a fight for survival between now and the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Having all the ingredients for a mouthwatering clash, there is reason to suggest that there could be fireworks on Sunday as both teams look to lay down a marker to their divisional rivals.
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How to watch Leeds vs. Man United
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 20
- Time: 9 a.m. ET
- TV channel: USA Network
- Spanish-language TV: Telemundo
- Streaming: fuboTV
Sunday's match between Leeds United and Manchester United will be broadcast on USA Network (English) and Telemundo (Spanish) live in the USA.
Both channels are streamed on fuboTV, which is available to new users on a free trial.
Leeds vs. Man United projected lineups
Leeds have been decimated by injury issues in recent times, contributing to the stop-start nature of their season so far. Star players Kalvin Phillips and captain Liam Cooper remain on the sidelines until next month, whilst talisman striker Patrick Bamford will not participate, after running into a fresh problem with his foot. He has spent most of the campaign unable to take part due to injury (only six Premier League appearances).
Left back Junior Firpo should slot back into the starting eleven, following his recovery from a hamstring issue that has kept him out in recent weeks. Unfortunately for Leeds, Stuart Dallas and Leo Hjelde also became injury casualties following their defeat away to Everton last weekend. Daniel James will likely play the role of center forward, providing a pacy threat against his former club.
Leeds projected starting line up (3-3-3-1/4-1-4-1): Meslier, Llorente, Koch, Struijk, Ayling, Klich, Forshaw, Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison, James.
As for Manchester United, they will hope that Raphael Varane has recovered from illness after he had to pull out of their previous clash against the Seagulls despite being originally in the starting lineup. Eric Bailly could make a comeback from an ankle knock sustained at the African Cup of Nations final.
The Red Devils will also wait to see if Edinson Cavani and Nemanja Matic can play a part, with both suffering from groin and shin issues, respectively. Cristiano Ronaldo is almost certain to start, owing to his fabulous strike against Graham Potter's men on Tuesday.
Man United projected starting line-up: (4-2-3-1): De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Pogba, Elanga, Fernandes, Sancho, Ronaldo.
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Leeds vs. Man United betting odds, pick & prediction
Odds courtesy of DraftKings
If previous meetings are anything to go by, this match should produce an entertaining attacking spectacle with goals in abundance. On the opening day of the season, Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick and put in a man of the match performance as Manchester United thrashed Leeds 5-1 at Old Trafford. The Portuguese midfielder also scored a terrific goal in the 2-0 win over Graham Potter's men, while managing to record an expected goals total (xG) of 1.04 in the process.
Ronaldo is also looking more like himself, scoring for the first time in five Premier League games earlier this week. In comparison, Leeds United have also been finding goals lately, with Jack Harrison and Daniel James registering three and two in their last four, respectively.
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Counterattacking play is likely to decide this encounter, with both teams capable of using this power to devastating effect should the right opportunities present themselves. Factoring in the presence of Ronaldo as a focal point, combined with both teams' ability to counter at pace, backing the following seems like a sensible pick.
Pick: Over 3.5 goals (+140)
- Moneyline: Leeds +320 / Draw +310 / Man United -130
- Spread: Leeds +0.5 (+110) / Man United -0.5 (-125)
- O/U 2.5 total goals: Over -170 / Under +140
- Both Teams To Score: Yes -180 / No -140