Manchester United V Leeds United: Sunday 3rd January (FA Cup)

Manchester United V Leeds United

Sunday 3^rd January – 13:00 GMT (ITV1)

Manchester United

FA Cup Odds: 9/2 BetFred

Manchester United’s depleted squad may have struggled in the past month or so but the return of some familiar faces from injury has brought about some added vigour and confidence as the mighty Reds’ cantered to their second successive league victory in midweek, prevailing in a 5-0 romp at home to Wigan Athletic. That win backed up their efforts at Hull City just four day earlier, beating The Tigers 3-1 at The KC stadium. United have now picked up six points in their last two games and are start to regain some of that last momentum after a difficult start to a December month.

For now, though, their league concerns get put to one side and their full concentration is required in what is a tricky looking FA Cup tie with Northern rivals; Leeds United. They were fortunate enough to be drawn at home, which was a blessing as Leeds have been a prolific outfit at Elland Road this season. United, on the other hand, boast a similarly impressive home record this season. With their 1-0 defeat tp Aston Villa being their only Old Trafford blip thus far. 8-1-1 is how United’s record at Old Trafford looks in the league this season, losing just once in ten home outings against teams with far more quality than their travelling FA Cup opponents, so surely it should be a walk in the park for United? – If only.

Sir Alex will be boosted by the return to fitness of several important first team players, more notably in defence as Johnny Evans nears a return to first team action, as well as Rio Ferdinand, who could feature against Leeds, although we think that’s unlikely considering United have far more important games against tougher opponents to come, but you never know. John O’Shea will be out for quite some time yet but Nemanja Vidic should start from the off in the heart of the United defence, although he could be paired with another make-shift centre-back partner of either Darren Fletcher or Michael Carrick. Gary Neville is also close to a return but could just miss out on a game with Leeds Utd.

With all these injury’s. Its not surprising to see that United have been putting in some ‘Below Par’ displays of late, although their latest effort against Wigan Athletic was near enough flawless. United were rampant in a 5-0 success, with five different goalscorers; Rooney, Carrick, Rafael, Berbatov & Valencia, all getting on the scoresheet. That win will have given the United camp a massive lift in morale and confidence and what a time to get it ahead of their first FA Cup fixture of the campaign. One of many they hope.

Man Utd, at Old Trafford, should be far too strong for a dangerous, but still fairly ordinary compared to their usual opponent standard, on Sunday. Their attacking play on Wednesday was a lot sharper than it has been in recent outings, while their defence was also far more solid, so it’s hard to see United slipping up. Still, their defence is far from impenetrable and some lacklustre play could be punished if United don’t approach this tie in the appropriate manner.

Leeds United

FA Cup Odds: 500/1 SkyBet

Leeds fans were ecstatic when they drew Liverpool in the Carling Cup but they will be in a euphoric mood after pulling off a dream tie with Manchester United, the current champions of England, at Old Trafford. It didn’t take the club long to sell their ticket allocation but the travelling fans are expecting a lot more than just a nostalgic day out at Old Trafford. A spot in the draw for the fourth round is at stake and Leeds have already proven in this competition that they are battled hardened and willing to fight for their FA Cup survival, tooth and nail.  

Leeds will bring several thousand for support on Sunday but will their support be enough to close the big gulf between the two sides? After watching them compete with Liverpool for the best part of 70 minutes earlier in the Carling Cup, perhaps they do have a case, but that was a home fixture at Elland Road and Leeds will be vulnerable away from their fortress. After all, they were held by non-league Kettering Town in the previous round and knocked out by Histon in last seasons competition.  

To be brutally honest, Leeds do have anywhere near enough quality to overhaul United but they posses some dangerous individuals, with Jermaine Beckford one of the more notable ones. Beckford has been scoring goals for fun this season and just about every other season but he is an unknown quantity at the highest level. Robert Snodgrass has been a revelation for the club down the flank and his performance has earned him a Scotland call up this year, while Max Gradel, a forward thinking player with plenty of pace and ability,Lucciano Becchio, an Argentine with an eye for goal, and Johnny Howson, whose stunning goal saw off Oldham in round 1. All could provide Leeds fans with some excitement but it’s a collective performance that’s needed and, with ego’s at the ready, something tells me ‘I’ could take more significance than ‘Team’. Especially with this being a live encounter on terrestrial TV.

Nevertheless, Leeds are flying high in League One, losing just one game all season, and they certainly have a lot of confidence and momentum heading into this fixture after winning three games on the spin and going unbeaten in ten games. They are also unbeaten in their last five road trips in the league, although that’s a pretty useless statistic considering the size of their opponent this Saturday compared to the team they faced last Saturday and every other Saturday. They do, though, score plenty of goals, 45 for the season in 23 games, and they do know how to attack, but they could and should get found out at one of the most intimidating arenas in the country.

Match Verdict: Manchester United to WIN – 1.25 Bet365

We would love to see an upset, we really would, but Sir Alex will welcome back a host of key players ahead of this fixture and, providing some of them start, United should have more than enough to see off a dangerous looking Leeds Utd. The concerns will arise, though, if Ferguson doesn’t play the big boys and opts to give some of the younger generation a run out, again. United’s youngsters have been found wanting on several occasions this season and, from a United perspective, that could be a catastrophic decision, although we don’t see that happening. A strong United side to beat Leeds Utd, whom we expect will put up a valiant fight.

Match Odds:

Manchester United – 1.25 Bet365

Draw – 6.00 PaddyPower

Leeds United – 13.00 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.70 Bet365