Leeds United v Manchester United: YEP Jury give their big-match predictions

ANDY RHODES

After results against two of the Premier League’s big hitters, you almost forget about the relegation worries some of us were having just a few weeks ago. With Monday’s result confirming Premier League football for another year, we are now looking ahead.

The Liverpool game was your typical game of two halves, highlighting both sides of United’s game.

If not for Alisson in the Liverpool goal, we might have won all three points. Leeds have already secured more points than many would have thought from this run of three tricky fixtures, and with Man United to come, the players’ tails will be up.

The goals are being shared around, while the defence has tightened up in recent weeks. Diego Llorente is quickly becoming a fan favourite for his calmness on the ball and his range of passing. Another tidy performance against our Manchester rivals will only help his cause.

Although on paper another result against a former ESL side is unlikely, but after this week, anything is possible.

Prediction: Leeds United 0 Manchester United 2.

DAVID WATKINS

For a third week running, we face one of the Super League rebels and I can only imagine what the atmosphere would have been like had 38,000 been packed inside Elland Road for the visit of the arch-enemy.

Having seen off Manchester City with 10 men and then having bossed the second half of the Liverpool game creating four more big chances than they did, then the visit of Manchester United should hold no fears.

The Red Devils have lost just one of their last 20 games and are pretty much secure in second place in the table with little chance of them catching City or being caught by any of the sides below them.

So, maybe, their focus might just be more towards their upcoming Europa League semi-final games with Roma than the encounter with Leeds.

Had there been fans in the stadium that would be a ridiculous statement of course with the rivalry that exists between us.

With there still being no certainty we’ll have the services of Raphinha, I’m finding it hard to back us to win this one but a draw would be an excellent way to finish this rebel treble.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Manchester United 2.

JACOB STARR

Looking at what has happened in the world of football these last few days, and what could lie ahead for the game as a whole, Premier League matches have suddenly lost a large chunk of significance, or that’s what it feels like anyway.

However, there is still the small matter of Manchester United visiting Elland Road on Sunday, following a well-deserved point for the Whites against Liverpool earlier this week.

Diego Llorente’s late header grabbed Leeds a point which they fully merited, meaning Marcelo Bielsa’s men are five unbeaten, whilst earning five points in that period against three of the sides that were all set for this ‘Super League’ that we definitely haven’t heard the last of.

Another one of those teams are up next, and I guarantee we won’t crumble to a 6-2 defeat like at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture. In fact, if Monday was anything to go by, we will have nationwide football fans rooting for us. I never thought I’d say that…

Come on, let’s win this for us and let’s win this for football.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Manchester United 1.

KEITH INGHAM

Next up is the match that doesn’t need any build up.

It’s Man Utd, probably the most loathed team in these parts of West Yorkshire. I mentioned in a blog earlier in the season that this is the game every Leeds fan wants their team to win.

Unfortunately earlier in the season two very early goals and another two later in the first half ended the game as a contest and the hosts won the game 6-2.

Leeds United have shown in their last two games that they have improved considerably and their visitors from Salford will certainly have a game on their hands on Sunday.

The Red Devils are strong favourites for the match and to get second place, they have also had some impressive away performances this season.

With Liam Cooper still suspended, Luke Ayling will continue as captain of the side with goalscorer Deigo Llorente and Pascal Struijk at the heart of the Leeds defence.

Raphinha missed the Liverpool game with a thigh injury and is rated 50/50 to play on Sunday.

Ian Poveda, a second-half substitute against Liverpool showed enough to challenge Helder Costa for his place in the team.

This game should be a cracker and I’ve a sneaking feeling that Leeds could edge this by the odd goal.

It’s just a real shame that Elland Road will once again be empty, it’s one game every single Leeds fan would want to be there to witness.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Manchester United 1.

MIKE GILL

After taking four points from the champions and champions elect, United face their old rivals from across the Pennines for another big challenge.

The furore about the proposed Super League has gone away quicker than any of us would have expected but rest assured, the devil will reappear in one of his many disguises before very long. Let us hope that future attempts to impose the will of the greedy and powerful are met with the same resistance.

The controversy didn’t take all of the gloss off United’s superb second-half performance against Liverpool but it was an unwelcome diversion.

Just like Liverpool, Manchester United are going to find the Whites a different prospect to the team that they trounced in the autumn.

There seems to be a quiet confidence and determination about Leeds these days. Liam Cooper is still suspended but Pascal Struijk put in a flawless performance against the Reds.

A four-point haul from three games against the ‘elite’ of English football would have seemed a reasonable return but success breeds success.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Manchester United 2.

MATTHEW EVANS

When I was a kid growing up in Yorkshire, most of the kids in my school were Leeds fans or at least supported other Yorkshire clubs. Of those that didn’t, the older ones generally supported Liverpool (who won the title seven times in the 1980s) and the younger ones generally supported Manchester United (who won the title six times in the 1990s). Strange that, isn’t it?

That phenomenon was just the start of what you see today with clubs relying more on fickle, worldwide support at the expense of ‘legacy fans’ in their communities.

It’s what led to these club owners thinking that a closed-shop “Super League” might be the way forward for football.

It’s fitting then that our two games immediately after that announcement have been against the two poster-boys for forgetting your roots and attracting the fickle. We’d be giving them hell at Elland Road if we were only allowed in.

It’s been a great season for us with our trip to Old Trafford, and shipping six goals, being a rare low point.

I hope we avenge that scoreline and put the “big six” back in their place. Big six nil.

Prediction: Leeds United 6 Manchester United 0.

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