MY ACCOUNT
– Manchester United had man sent off and given FA charge against Crystal Palace
– Leeds given at least three yellow cards for sixth time in 11 games on Wednesday
– Recommended Bets: Over 2.5 Leeds team total cards and Over 0.5 red cards in match
Simon Barlow picked out Manchester United to beat Crystal Palace with both teams scoring last weekend, and he assesses the best bets for the Red Devils’ trip to old rivals Leeds on Sunday.
The second clash between roses rivals Leeds and Manchester United in the space of a few days could prove to be a spiky affair if Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Old Trafford is anything to go by.
The managerless Whites stunned Old Trafford with goals inside the opening few minutes of each half, but the Red Devils regained some momentum with a double strike of their own midway through the second period.
Erik ten Hag was furious with his side’s slow start to the match, which he described as unacceptable, but reserved praise for Jadon Sancho after the England winger’s impact off the bench helped United salvage a point.
Leeds look set to be under the caretaker charge of Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo again after majority owner Andrea Radrizzani’s “white smoke” hint about a new permanent manager appointment remained conspicuous by its absence over Elland Road.
Team news
The Whites suffered a couple of early injury blows at Old Trafford with Luis Sinisterra (hamstring) and Pascal Struijk (concussion) both looking highly doubtful to make this game.
Crysencio Summerville would seem the most natural fit to replace the Colombian on the wing with Junior Firpo slotting in on the left-hand side of the back four.
Georginio Rutter and Brenden Aaronson could, therefore, have to make do with bench spots again.
Rodrigo remains sidelined for the next few weeks while Liam Cooper and Marc Roca were absent from the matchday squad on Wednesday due to knocks and will need to be assessed closer to Sunday’s kick-off time.
For United, Ten Hag is still without the services of suspended Casemiro and injured Christian Eriksen in midfield while Donny van de Beek has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka saw his run of seven consecutive Premier League starts halted by illness on Wednesday and may not have recovered in time to displace Diogo Dalot, who made a timely return from injury against Leeds.
Jadon Sancho pressed his claims to start for the first time since October with United’s equalising goal and could replace Alejandro Garnacho on the left.
Antony and Scott McTominay have been ruled out again by Ten Hag and both also look set to miss next week’s trip to Barcelona.
The stats
Luke Ayling won 17 duels against Man Utd, the most by a Leeds player in a league match for over four years.
He also made 12 tackles, the most by a player in a Premier League game since December 2018.
Leeds have attempted 436 tackles as a team in the Premier League, exactly 100 more than the next highest-tackling team in the division — Leicester.
Wilfried Gnonto’s goal at Old Trafford was timed at 55 seconds, giving the Italian his second first-minute strike in Leeds’ last five games after he notched 26 seconds into their FA Cup replay win over Cardiff City in January.
David De Gea is poised to become the first non-British player, and first goalkeeper, to make 400 Premier League appearances for one club.
Prediction
Ten Hag’s team were not ready for the ferocious midfield press Leeds exerted throughout almost the entire game at Old Trafford and could not match the visitors’ intensity in the early going.
Without Christian Eriksen’s ability to play accurate balls into the strikers or Casemiro’s positional sense, they were outgunned in the middle.
Those two key players will be missing again on Sunday so it is not easy to see how the Red Devils can remedy their midweek problem.
Leeds’ frailty at the back still reared its head in the second half when the hosts’ substitutes gave them a lift, so the Elland Road faithful will not be getting ahead of themselves in expecting three points this weekend.
The key element to this second clash in four days is likely to be discipline and who can maintain theirs for the duration of a fiercely-contested clash.
Both clubs are inside the top four in the Premier League for fouls per match and it will not take much for matters to boil over as old scores are settled on the pitch.
Leeds, who are 13/10 to receiver over 2.5 total team cards with LiveScore Bet, have picked up at least three cautions in six of their last 11 games.
United are not immune to the red mist descending and finished their recent match against Crystal Palace with only 10 men.
Back over 0.5 red cards in the match at 16/5 with LiveScore Bet.
