In a matter of days, tens of thousands of Leeds United supporters will get their wish of facing arch-rivals Manchester United at a sold-out Elland Road.
While Man United paid a visit to Leeds territory last season, coronavirus restrictions meant the fixture was played behind closed doors, with no spectators in attendance.
This time around, Elland Road will be brimming with an intense and passionate rivalry, put on hold for 19 years.
Speaking ahead of his side's visit to Leeds, Manchester United's interim boss Ralf Rangnick has admitted drafting in the help of a sports psychologist to help the Red Devils get the edge over their White Rose opponents.
“In 11 of 13 games since I arrived we score the first goal and were 1-0 up but we only won half," the German told journalists on Monday afternoon.
"When you are 1-0 up in three consecutive games [and you] concede an equaliser, this affects the mindset of the players. They say: ‘We should have been 3-0 or 4-0 up and all of a sudden it is 1-1.’
"If we concede early in the second half, it affects the confidence of the players. They are human beings, not robots.
“I spoke to Sascha [Lense] and we speak regularly about that. The only thing we can do is speak to the players, one by one, to the group and the whole team."
Sascha Lense has been employed by Manchester United since December in a sports psychologist capacity.
The German has previously worked with RB Leipzig, FC Schalke 04 and Dynamo Dresden in the same role.
Manchester United have taken the lead in each of their last three games across all competitions, only for all three fixtures to end 1-1 after 90 minutes.
Draws versus Southampton and Burnley in the Premier League followed a penalty shoot-out defeat to Middlesbrough in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup.
Rangnick's message to his players ahead of Sunday's fixture is to be more ruthless when going in front.
“Number one, we have to be more effective to score a second and a third goal and just kill a game off. But if that doesn’t happen, stick to the game-plan, stay solid, stay tactically disciplined.
"I look to all those goals we conceded in the second halves and it was just too easy," Rangnick finished.
Leeds face Man United at Elland Road on Sunday February 20. Kick-off is at 2pm.
