JAKARTA - Not long after the bad result against the team that was threatened with relegation, Manchester United traveled to face their old rivals, Leeds United, in a Premier League battle on Sunday, January 4 at Elland Road.
A false sense of security may have crept into the Manchester United squad and the supporters at Old Trafford on December 30, when the Red Devils met again with the seemingly relegated Wolves, after beating them 4-1 at Wolves' home a few weeks earlier.
However, Ruben Amorim's side returned to their worst form in a humiliating 1-1 draw against the Premier League relegation battlers, with Joshua Zirkzee's opener cancelled out by Ladislav Krejci just before half-time.
Fans and former players alike criticised Amorim's decision to revert to his favoured 3-4-3 formation after the four-man defence managed against Newcastle United; the Portuguese coach explained that he was trying to adapt to Wolves' system, but to no avail.
However, sixth-placed Manchester United are still just three points adrift of the Champions League places in the Premier League table, and they head to Elland Road with a record 25 unbeaten games against promoted sides since that humiliating defeat at Watford in 2021.
MU is also on a positive trend by scoring in seven consecutive Premier League away games, but they are worrying about conceding in 14 consecutive away games in this competition, and have lost 12 points from their leading position this season, more than last season.
However, only one of Leeds or Man United has not conceded in a Premier League away game in the 2025-26 season, as Leeds managed to shut their goal down on the road for the first time this season by holding Liverpool scoreless on Thursday, January 1.
Leeds benefited from Hugo Ekitike's bizarre error and a missed penalty, but Daniel Farke's resilient revitalised side more than deserved a draw at Anfield.
With West Ham United's result, Leeds maintained a seven-point lead over the Premier League relegation zone thanks to a record six consecutive unbeaten games, collecting 10 points out of 18 available.
The surge in goals at Elland Road has also played a part in Leeds' improvement, with the hosts scoring an incredible 10 goals in their last three home games, although their last home clean sheet came back in August.
Leeds also have to go back to 2002 for their last victory over Man United in the top flight, with the Red Devils winning the last two visits to Elland Road and could win three in a row at this venue for the first time in their history.
Amorim admitted in the pre-match press conference that he did not expect injured players to return for the match against Leeds, so fans hoping to see Bruno Fernandes (hamstring) or Kobbie Mainoo (calf) back will be disappointed.
Matthijs de Ligt (back), Mason Mount (muscle), and Harry Maguire (hamstring) are also still in the treatment room, while Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui are on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Although the visitors are likely to face a wing-back system again on Sunday, Amorim will surely consider reverting to a back four like against Newcastle, thus giving attacking licence to Patrick Dorgu on the right side.
Meanwhile, the only negative note from Leeds' heroic performance at Anfield was Ethan Ampadu receiving his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he is suspended for the trip to Man United.
Ao Tanaka is the immediate replacement option in the middle, unless Farke decides to keep Ilia Gruev, drop Brenden Aaronson deeper, and return Dominic Calvert-Lewin to the main striker role.
The former Everton player was only a substitute at Anfield as Farke looked to protect him - a decision that ended his record of six consecutive goals - but he is sure to return to the starting XI on Sunday.
In terms of injuries, Sean Longstaff (calf), Joe Rodon (ankle), and Daniel James (thigh) are out, while Sebastiaan Bornauw suffered a collision against Liverpool and may be in doubt.
All signs point to both teams scoring on Sunday, where we envision a New Year's Day surprise party at Elland Road.
Leeds have comfortably beaten Chelsea and Crystal Palace at home on either side of a draw against Liverpool, and now face a depleted and confidence-less Red Devils, Farke's men are sure to have the ability to add to Amorim's misery.
Line-up
Leeds United: Perri; Bogle, Bijol, Struijk; Justin, Stach, Aaronson, Tanaka, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Okafor
Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Heaven, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Ugarte; Dorgu, Zirkzee, Cunha; Sesko
Prediction : Leeds United 2-1 Manchester UnitedThe English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
