Leeds v United: The essential info

After defeating Perth Glory at the Optus Stadium on 13 July, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Reds will look ahead to the exciting prospect of coming up against Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship side four days later.

As we look forward to the game, here’s the key information you need to know…

WHAT'S THE LATEST?

Ole looks set to have his full squad available to him for Wednesday's game. Luke Shaw took part in training on Monday morning, which is positive news for the left-back after he limped out of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Perth Glory with tightness in his hamstring.

As for Leeds United, head coach Marcelo Bielsa has split his squad in two, with 16 players making the trip Down Under with the other half remaining in Yorkshire. Pablo Hernandez, Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford, who were prolific in front of goal for the Whites last season, have been included in the travelling squad, along with a supporting cast that includes Stuart Dallas in defence and highly rated midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

While Bielsa did not accompany his players on the flight to Perth, the Argentinian is expected to take his place on the bench for the game against the Reds.

HOW CAN I GET TICKETS?

Tickets can be purchased by visiting manutd.com/tour.

WILL IT BE SHOWN ON MUTV?

The friendly match will kick off at 12:00 BST (19:00 local time) on Wednesday 17 July and, like each and every one of United’s five remaining pre-season games, it will be shown live on MUTV.

WHERE ARE WE PLAYING?

The game will take place at the Optus Stadium in Perth, which also staged our 2-0 victory with Perth Glory four days prior. The ground officially opened in January last year.

HOW DID LEEDS GET ON LAST YEAR?

The Whites endured a disappointing end to what was ultimately a positive season in 2018/19. Under the guise of the experienced Bielsa, Leeds made a blistering start to the campaign and spent most of August and September occupying top spot in the Championship. That excellent form continued into mid-part of the season, with Leeds even winning seven league games in a row over November and December. But, a poor run in the final months saw the Yorkshire outfit slip out of the automatic promotion places and finish third in the table, meaning their only hope of returning to the Premier League lay via the play-offs. Sadly for Leeds, they were eliminated from the end-of-season, four-team tournament by Derby County - who ultimately lost to Aston Villa in the final at Wembley - and ensured the Whites were resigned to a 16th consecutive year outside the top flight.

WHO IS THEIR MANAGER?

Leeds pulled off a real coup in appointing the world-renowned Bielsa ahead of the 2018/19 season and, after much speculation at end of the campaign, the Whites confirmed last week that the 63-year-old would remain for another year. Nicknamed ‘El Loco’ - meaning the ‘crazy one’ - Bielsa began his coaching career in his native Argentina before spending four years coaching in Mexico. In 1998, Bielsa took charge of the Argentinian national side and oversaw their gold-medal campaign at the 2004 Olympics. He also managed Chile between 2007-2011, where he was in charge of a certain Alexis Sanchez. Bielsa has come up against United before, when he masterminded Athletic Bilbao’s Europa League round-of-16 triumph against the Reds in 2012. The Leeds boss’s distinguished career has also seen him manage the likes of Espanyol, Marseille and Lille.

WHAT’S OUR RECORD AGAINST LEEDS LIKE?

We’ve faced Leeds 109 times over the years and have won 47, drawn 35 and lost 27 of those previous clashes. We last played the Whites in 2011, when a Michael Owen brace and a strike from Ryan Giggs ensured the Reds won 3-0 in a League Cup third-round encounter at Elland Road. The two Uniteds have also met six times at neutral venues, all of which have occurred in the FA Cup. The most recent came in the 1977 semi-final, when we eliminated Leeds en route to the winning the trophy.

WHO IS THEIR STAR MAN?

Pablo Hernandez has spent three years at Elland Road and has been voted the club’s Player of the Season in each of the last two seasons. The midfielder, whom United fans may remember from his days in the Premier League with Swansea City, played 41 games for Leeds last term and registered 12 goals and 12 assists. So impressive was the former Valencia man's contribution in 2018/19, he was selected in the Championship PFA Team of the Year.

CLASSIC ENCOUNTER

Nicky Butt turned out to be the unlikely hero when the two sides met at Old Trafford in our historic 1998/99 season. As was the case in a number of our games in the Treble campaign, this one was decided by a late goal as, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Roy Keane had already found the back of the net for the Reds, Butty’s sensational strike in the game’s latter stages meant United just edged it 3-2.

WHO ELSE ARE WE PLAYING IN PRE-SEASON?

After Wednesday's friendly has concluded, our International Champions Cup (ICC) campaign will get under way against Inter Milan in Singapore on 20 July and continues against Tottenham Hotspur in Shanghai five days later. There is a friendly against Kristiansund in Norway, then the Reds will play our final ICC match against AC Milan in Cardiff on 3 August.

For more details and ticket information for all of the games, visit manutd.com/tour.

All of United's five remaining pre-season fixtures - against Leeds United, Inter Milan, Spurs, Kristiansund and AC Milan - will be shown live on MUTV.

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