When the fixtures were announced before the start of this latest Premier League season, Manchester United at home was the game which everybody involved with Leeds United would have looked for.
Of course, the Whites hosted their arch-rivals in the top division last season but there were no fans in the ground, so this Sunday's game will be the first time a whole generation of Leeds fans have seen their team face Manchester United at home in the top division.
Last season, the game ended 0-0 at Elland Road but both games at Old Trafford - last season and in the opening day of this season - ended in heavy defeats for Marcelo Bielsa's side as Manchester United ran rampant in central areas.
This time around Manchester United have a different manager in Ralf Rangnick, which may work in Leeds' favour as whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have had tactical deficiencies, he recognised that his side could beat Leeds through their superior player quality if they matched up in the 1v1 battles that Bielsa tries to engage with his man-marking style.
Once again, this Sunday could come down to individual battles and there are several key ones to look out for. Leeds will need to get the better of the majority of these if they are to get a positive result against the Red Devils.
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Raphinha vs Luke Shaw
Firstly, an attacking one for Leeds. The Whites' mercurial winger has been a little off colour since returning from international duty but there could be no better game for him to return to top form. If Leeds are going to be effective in attack against Manchester United, they will need their star attacker to be firing.
Luke Shaw is an exceptional left back going forwards and Raphinha will still have defensive work to do but he will have opportunities to get in behind against the England international. Leeds need to maximise on these opportunities when they come.
Diego Llorente v Cristiano Ronaldo
At the other end of the pitch, Ronaldo will be the away side's primary goal threat and he is fresh off the back of breaking his goal-scoring dry spell against Brighton in mid-week.
Llorente has marked Ronaldo out of the game in the past, playing in an international fixture for Spain, and his aggressive defending could help him get to the ball ahead of the Portuguese forward regularly. However, he will not get away with any lapses of concentration and Ronaldo's movement off the ball could be a problem for him when Manchester United have the ball in wide areas.
The Spanish centre back may need to play a flawless game in order to keep the prolific goalscorer off the score sheet.
Robin Koch v Bruno Fernandes
At Old Trafford earlier this season, Koch was marking Fernandes and he badly struggled to contain the runs in behind from the attacking midfielder.
Fernandes ended the game with a hat-trick after thoroughly dominating that particular 1v1 battle. With both players likely to start again, Leeds will need Koch to play far better than he did in the opening game of the season.
Adam Forshaw v Scott McTominay
Another player who has caused Leeds trouble is Scott McTominay, who infamously scored a brace in the first three minutes of the match at Old Trafford in 2020/21. On that day, McTominay made two blind-side runs away from Mateusz Klich, allowing him to score.
This time, it seems more likely that Adam Forshaw will play in place of Klich after Bielsa admitted to having made an error in his team selection after the Everton game. Forshaw's more defensive mindset could nullify the threat of McTominay making attacking runs from deep.
Daniel James v Harry Maguire
Back at the sharp end of the pitch for Leeds, Daniel James struggled to get into the game at Everton but had his best performance of the season up front at Aston Villa.
This time he will face Harry Maguire, who is on a difficult patch of form for Manchester United. James' pace and mobility could be an issue for Maguire if, Leeds can find themselves in situations where they can release the Welshman to run into space.
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