Manchester United at Elland Road was likely one of the first games Leeds United supporters scanned the fixture list for when the schedule was announced last summer.
For an entire generation of Leeds fans, they have only heard tales of famous battles, not having witnessed them themselves.
Last season's return to the top flight produced two hugely contrasting games against Manchester United - one of 2020/21's most memorable, and least memorable fixtures apiece - but both played behind-closed-doors.
The Whites' 6-2 defeat at Old Trafford days before a lockdown Christmas rankled, but pride was restored when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought his men to Elland Road three months later.
A 0-0 draw in which Kalvin Phillips starred fell during a run of fixtures in which Leeds asserted themselves on the Premier League.
An ignominious opening day defeat to the Red Devils at Old Trafford last August conceded bragging rights yet again, though. This time Ralf Rangnick and his men will arrive at a raucous Elland Road, baying for a gladiatorial contest.
Bruno Fernandes insists the squad are prepared for the colourful welcome Manchester United are bound to receive, while Pascal Struijk admits he is beginning to understand the rivalry between the two clubs, almost as acutely as 'local boy' Kalvin Phillips.
The question remained, though: Does Marcelo Bielsa understand the gravity of such a fixture?
The Argentine has presided over some of football's fiercest rivalries: Newell's Old Boys versus Rosario Central, Brazil versus Argentina, Atlas versus Chivas Guadalajara, and so on.
Asked about this very topic in his pre-Manchester United press conference, Bielsa answered succinctly, and somewhat decoratively.
"Defeats against those classic opponents are not the same like the others," he stated, discussing the 5-1 and 6-2 scorelines Leeds have been on the receiving end of.
"The presence of a classic opponent increases the enthusiasm, it's going to be precious to be able to witness it. And of course we think more of what we need to give to the public than what we need to receive from them," the 66-year-old said.
Bielsa is always keen to play down the significance of individual matches, but one cannot help but assume that such a tie appeals to the footballing romantic the Argentine is at heart.
By acknowledging the magnitude of the fixture, Bielsa recognises the need for a response, to last week's Everton defeat and the losses versus Manchester United which have come before.
His coaching career has spanned four decades; there is not a great deal he hasn't seen in football.
For the Leeds boss then to speak so colourfully about a tie indicates just how significant he feels the fixture is compared to other rivalries he has been involved with.
"It's very difficult to establish those comparisons, it's all about the times, when the game is played, different opponents," Bielsa added, refusing to be drawn on direct comparisons.
However, it is the aforementioned acknowledgement, free of managerial platitudes synonymous with the modern game, that provide a window into Bielsa's true understanding of Leeds versus Manchester United.
