Manchester United have risen to third place under Erik ten Hag and they will be hoping to continue their form in the coming weeks.
United currently sit three points behind Manchester City and eight points behind league leaders Arsenal but their focus will be firmly on finishing in the top four rather than a title race. Part of the reason for this is the fixture congestion that the club have to face.
After a packed January, United have no relief in February. They have eight fixtures including a League Cup final matchup with Newcastle to think about, but before they face Eddie Howe's side for a chance of silverware they must overcome back-to-back fixtures against Leeds.
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Leeds are not having a good season and have parted ways with manager Jesse Marsch after a string of poor results. A number of his coaching staff have also left the club and the expectation currently is that former United coach Chris Armas will act as interim coach across the two fixtures.
United fans will, unfortunately, remember Armas' time under Ralf Rangnick last season, where the pair oversaw the club's worst finish in the Premier League era. But why are United playing Leeds twice in a row?
Well it's because the first match, due to be played at Old Trafford, was originally postponed in September due to Queen Elizabeth II's death. With United still competing in all four competitions available to them and potentially having congestion running late into the season, the Premier League decided to get the fixture played as early as possible.
Since Leeds returned to the Premier League, they haven't had the best luck against United, losing three games and drawing one, with an aggregate score of 14-5. This will be good news for Ten Hag who could see his side go about City with back-to-back wins if their rivals struggle.
Overall, the congestion is not ideal but the opponent is a better one for United to face.
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