How Leeds United can beat Manchester United as Marcelo Bielsa and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer meet at Old Trafford

There will be no bigger fixtures in the Leeds United fan’s calendar than the two league games with Manchester United.

Even taking into account Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, these will be the clashes that would bring the most joy if a result could be wrung out of the match.

And what better time to play Manchester United than during the relative slump that they haven’t been able to shake off since Alex Ferguson left in 2013?

With “Ole at the wheel,” the Manchester club haven’t ever looked too impressive except for when they are the underdogs. But with a squad as stacked as they have, they are always dangerous even when they are playing poorly.

Here are three aspects of Solskjaer’s system to look out for on Sunday afternoon...

Which approach?

This season in the Premier League, Manchester United have either played a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield.

As a rule, Solskjaer has used the 4-4-2 with a diamond against so-called “Top Six” opponents or teams where he wants to play through a press, implementing the 4-2-3-1 for everyone else.

Where Solskjaer will figure Leeds fit here - with their high press but their susceptibility in defensive transition - isn’t clear. The structure of a 4-2-3-1 does match nicely with Leeds midfield three in a 4-1-4-1, though.

Defensive transition

Manchester United are at their best when they can sit deep, absorb pressure and then break at speed, catching their opponents out.

This should make any Leeds fan a little bit nervous heading into the weekend. Leeds’ defenders will need to be on top form.

Without the transitional pace of Robin Koch in the back line, Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper will have to be on their toes to match players like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood for pace in these transitions.

Defensive solidity, attacking fluidity

Manchester United are fairly structurally rigid. This means that defensively they are fairly well-organised with their back four and double pivot - two midfielders in front of the back four - covering them well.

Going forward, though, their attacking play doesn’t incorporate the sort of rotations and interchanges we see from Leeds.

For the most part, going forward, Manchester United will adopt the approach that best suits the creative players on the field, be it Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, or Donny van de Beek.

Between these two poles - the defensive solidity and the attacking fluidity - Manchester United could prove to be a tricky opponent on Sunday.

Jon Mackenzie runs All Stats Aren’t We, a Leeds United media channel that focuses on the tactical and statistical aspects of the game.