Preview: Man Utd aim to consolidate top four spot with win over Leeds

(Football news) Manchester United will look to win their second consecutive game by defeating Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday. Ralf Rangnick’s team are currently fourth on the Premier League table, two points ahead of fifth place West Ham while Leeds are six points clear of the relegation zone and will be looking to avenge their humiliating 5-1 defeat to the Red Devils earlier in the season. 

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have won five, drawn eight and lost 10 from their 23 games so far, collecting 23 points in the process and are 15th on the league table. Avoiding relegation will be of utmost priority for the side, and will be looking to secure a positive result, especially with Everton and Newcastle showing improvement after the January transfer window. Despite winning against Burnley and West Ham last month, Leeds have only picked up a point in their subsequent nine matches with a draw against Aston Villa and losing to Newcastle and Everton. They face a difficult run of fixtures with Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on the horizon.

Leeds’ home form is nothing to brag about, they have only picked up 13 points from 11 matches, the fourth worst record in the Premier League, winning just one of their last four fixtures. Manchester United on the other hand defeated Brighton 2-0 at Old Trafford in their last fixture and are unbeaten in their last six matches. A victory at Elland Road is crucial, not just because West Ham are breathing down their necks but Arsenal, Tottenham and Wolves are also competing for a place in the top four.

At the press conference on Friday, Marcelo Bielsa said Stuart Dallas might be available for the fixture but Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Leo Hjelde, Patrick Bamford and Sam Greenwood remain unavailable. Daniel James could feature against his former club while Junior Firpo could return to the starting lineup. Bielsa is expected to feature Jack Harrison, Rodrigo and Raphinha as attacking options while Adam Forshaw could be introduced in midfield. 

As for Manchester United, Edinson Cavani will be unavailable due to a groin problem while Tom Heaton (groin) and Mason Greenwood (suspension) won’t feature in the fixture. Nemanja Matic and Eric Bailly seem to have recovered from their injuries and are expected to be in the squad and Raphael Varane is expected to feature in the starting lineup after recovering from illness. Fred could be replaced by Paul Pogba in the team while Anthony Elanga could retain his place in the starting XI at the expense of Marcus Rashford. It will definitely be an upset if Manchester United fail to secure three points from this fixture.

Also read: Premier League’s top clubs look to secure wins in race for top four

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