Manchester United vs Leeds United
After a one-month hiatus, Manchester United will open their preseason series against Premier League clubs, starting with a Club Friendly against Leeds United at the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden, this Saturday.
The Red Devils are back to square one after a horrendous 15th-place run in the English top-flight standings last term, which was their worst-ever finish. Ruben Amorim will look to right the ship, despite the club’s underwhelming summer transfer window thus far, by building some momentum this preseason.
On the other hand, Leeds United are ecstatic to be back in the Premier League after a two-season hiatus. Daniel Farke’s men are having a productive summer transfer window (in contrast with Manchester United), and the Whites will likely use the preseason to gauge how they can stack up among England’s finest teams.
The SBOTOP Club Friendly 2025 odds expect Manchester United to win, but they don’t have a large margin for error.
Talking Points
Onana unavailable for Manchester United
Fans will finally get to see Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon suiting up for Manchester United for the first time this weekend, and for sure, they will provide them with a healthy dose of Club Friendly 2025 highlights. Other players such as Bruno Fernandes, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund, and Amad Diallo will also do the same. Diogo Dalot will wear No. 2 on his jersey for the first time, and Lisandro Martinez is back at full strength after his leg injury.
However, the audience won’t get to see Andre Onana in action, as the Cameroonian goalkeeper recently sustained a hamstring injury. Amorim expects Onana to be out for much of the preseason, so he’ll choose between Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton to be the man between the sticks. The manager could also play youngsters like Elyh Harrison, Radek Vitek, or Dermot Mee.
Onana has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this season, as Manchester United were named as a possible transfer destination for Emiliano Martinez, who just left Aston Villa. However, no move between the two parties is imminent, so Onana remains the team’s first-choice.
Another thing to watch for Manchester United’s preseason is how Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia fit into the team’s plans. Mainoo has been an odd fit to Amorim’s tactics thus far, while Garnacho, Sancho, Antony, and Malacia are on the team’s sell list this summer.
Leeds United could feature the new recruits
Leeds United have been busy in the transfer market, acquiring the likes of Jaka Bijol, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bournauw, and Felix Nmecha, and they could feature against Manchester United. The Whites also recruited Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United, though Saturday could come too early for his Leeds United debut. Jack Harrison will also get his chance after two straight years on loan at Everton.
Joel Piroe and Willy Gnonto will take charge of the scoring for Leeds United, with Largie Ramazani and Patrick Bamford as their off-the-bench options. Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka will operate in the middle of the park in a double pivot, while Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu will link up again at centre-half.
History
As mentioned, Manchester United are coming off their worst Premier League finish following their 15th-place run in the English top-flight standings with only 42 points. This means that the Red Devils won’t play in Europe for the first time in a long while, although this could be a blessing in disguise for Ruben Amorim and co. schedule-wise.
Meanwhile, Leeds United are back in the Premier League after they were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. After losing to Southampton in the play-off last year, the Whites secured their English top-flight return after finishing at the top of the EFL Championship table in 2024-25 with 100 points.
Manchester United and Leeds United have one of the biggest rivalries in English football, called the Roses rivalry. Since 1923, these two teams have faced off in 113 matches, with the Red Devils notching 50 wins and the Whites registering 37 wins and 26 draws.
Manchester United are undefeated in their last seven matches against Leeds United across all competitions (W5, D2), including a 2-0 result in their most recent encounter at Elland Road in February 2023.
There have been 16 players who have played for both Manchester United and Leeds United, including Eric Cantona and Rio Ferdinand, two of the Red Devils’ most iconic stars. Daniel James is the most recent one, as the 27-year-old winger played for the Red Devils from 2019 to 2021 before he was sold to the Whites.
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