Leeds v Manchester United predictions: Elland Road clash could be a slow-burner

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Leeds v Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 2pm Sunday

Best bet

Second half to have more goals
2pts Evs Betfair, Paddy Power

Team news

Leeds
Raphinha is still not back in training and Rodrigo will not be risked for this fixture. Liam Cooper is suspended and Adam Forshaw remains sidelined.

Manchester United
Anthony Martial and Phil Jones are injured. Marcus Rashford and Eric Bailly will be assessed.

Match preview

Just before Christmas Manchester United beat Leeds 6-2 at Old Trafford in an extraordinary game that featured 43 shots on goal.

The reverse fixture has plenty to live up to although Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa suggested in Friday's press conference that he has a plan to "neutralise" the visitors' attackers.

Bielsa's tactics for December's trip to Manchester presumably didn't include conceding twice to Scott McTominay in the first three minutes.

The Scotland midfielder's record-breakingly quick brace set the tone for a breathless game in which the hosts led 4-1 at half-time.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men must be respected given their 23-match unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League.

However, they face a Leeds side who are a little older and a little wiser than the one they met at Old Trafford.

Bielsa's boys can certainly be proud of their recent results, having taken 11 points from their last five games.

That run includes draws with Chelsea and Liverpool, thanks to Diego Llorente's 87th-minute equaliser on Monday, and a remarkable 2-1 win at leaders Manchester City where they played the whole of the second half with ten men.

The best bet could be for the second half to produce more goals than the first 45 minutes. Manchester United's 3-1 home win over Burnley last weekend was goalless at the break and in their previous game they trailed Tottenham 1-0 at the interval before scoring three times in the second half.

The visitors are certainly expected to finish the game strongly given that their second-half goal difference away from home is +17, compared with minus one in the first half of their road trips this season.

But Leeds also tend to pose more of a threat as their games go on, scoring 30 of their 50 league goals in the second half of matches.

The Red Devils struck injury-time goals in both legs of their Europa League quarter-final against Granada and there have been more goals in the second half of each of their last four league matches so it could pay to back a slow-burning encounter at Elland Road.

Key stat

Manchester United's nine away league matches in 2021 have featured only six first-half goals.

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