Leeds United have their first Premier League fixture in just over three weeks on Monday night, when they make the trip to Old Trafford to square off against Manchester United.
Daniel Farke’s side will do this without two of their star players, Joe Rodon and Anton Stach, who have both picked up ankle injuries during United’s dramatic win over West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Whilst Leeds legend, Stuart Dallas, is confident that the Whites are capable of picking up a result at Old Trafford, not every former Leeds player is confident regarding their chances.
This includes Rio Ferdinand, who has made a bold claim regarding the clash between his two former sides.
Rio Ferdinand claims Leeds United will be “emotionally” exhausted when they take on Manchester United
By now, every Leeds fan knows why Ferdinand is such a disliked figure in West Yorkshire, and the former defender’s recent comments on the Whites will only increase this animosity even further.
Speaking on his personal YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former England international had this to say when previewing the highly anticipated game.
“I want to go for a Man United win. I think it’ll be a tough game. I think Leeds have had a tough game in the FA Cup against my old team, West Ham, as well, which was a great game.
“I think that emotionally would have been a massive game for them, and I think that might have done Man United a favour, and I think Man United will win.”
Claiming Leeds will be “emotionally” exhausted after one game, and referring to West Ham as his ‘old team’ and acting like Ferdinand didn’t have the privilege that so many Leeds fans dream of, representing United at Elland Road, will only infuriate supporters further.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the game, Farke called for his players to have “fire in the heart” whilst being “cool in the head” as hopefully Leeds can harness the emotion of playing in such a big rivalry to their benefit, with proving Ferdinand wrong being the cherry on top of the cake.
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Data suggests Manchester United will beat Leeds United
On paper, at least, United’s trip to Old Trafford is their hardest remaining Premier League fixture of the season.
Man United have vastly improved since the reverse fixture at Elland Road since Michael Carrick’s appointment as manager, and the former midfielder looks as though he will guide them into the Champions League this season.
Opta’s supercomputer is not confident that Leeds will pull off an upset at Old Trafford, with the Whites travelling across the Pennines.
- Man United are predicted to have a 61.7% chance of winning
- Leeds’ chances of winning, on the other hand, sit at just 18.1%
- The chances of the game ending in a draw are said to be 20.2%
If Leeds could return to West Yorkshire with even a point, it would be a massive result in their battle against relegation, but if Leeds picked up a win at Old Trafford, then Farke would be overseeing one of the most impressive campaigns in the club’s recent history.
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