Manchester United return to football with a bang in a derby against Leeds United, and there are three battles that will decide the game.
A unique test awaits Michael Carrick’s side when Leeds rock up at Old Trafford in hopes of causing an upset against their bitter rivals.
Man Utd will be playing their first game in 24 days, while Leeds will be fresh off a high after qualifying for the FA Cup semi-finals.
For United to emerge victorious, they need to ensure that they win these three battles across the pitch.
Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, in 2026.
Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro vs Calvert-Lewin
In an alternate reality, Dominic Calvert-Lewin would still be playing at Old Trafford on the 13th, but in a red jersey instead.
United were linked to Calvert-Lewin last summer but made the long-term play with Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko instead.
Calvert-Lewin has been a revived force in the league this season, scoring ten goals so far in the league, but he has hit somewhat of a cold patch recently.
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However, with Harry Maguire suspended for this game, United might deploy their young CB pairing of Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro.
Lisandro Martinez might not be fit enough to start right away, and Calvert-Lewin will smell blood.
He’s an old-school, physical centre-forward who relies on movement in the box to outfox defenders, so Heaven and Yoro need to be switched on at all times to tackle his threat.
One mistake will lead to one goal, and he’d already be chomping at the bit to score to prove to United they made a mistake by not signing him.
It’s a proper English football test for United’s young pairing.
Kobbie Mainoo vs Ethan Ampadu
In physically intense derby games, the result is often decided by who wins the battle in midfield, where two fine players will go to battle.
Ethan Ampadu has been ever-present for Leeds this season, emerging as their key player in midfield, while Kobbie Mainoo has had a renaissance under Michael Carrick.
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Leeds will miss Anton Stach, their set-piece wizard who also holds the midfield together, so Ampadu will have increased responsibilities.
It will be up to Mainoo to overwhelm the Welshman with the help of Casemiro and make those third-man runs to cause overloads down the middle.
This is as good a chance as any for him to rediscover his goalscoring threat against a softened midfield.
Matheus Cunha vs Jayden Bogle
Farke has engineered Leeds’ renaissance by tightening up the defence, helped by a transition-based, back-three setup, which utilises Jayden Bogle to boss the right-hand side.
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Bogle will be up against Matheus Cunha, who has reinvented himself as a left-winger under Carrick.
With Luke Shaw managing his intensity, Cunha will have to win his duels against Bogle and beat him off the dribble to get United moving up.
If he can pin Bogle into his own half by staying high and wide, then Leeds’ system will have space to play through the middle.
Shaw’s overlapping runs will be needed in this game, even if he manages their intensity, because United need to create 2v1 vs the wing-back.
It will drag the centre-backs out wide, and the midfielder will be forced to cover for them, thereby leaving Bruno Fernandes in space.
Cunha winning his battle against Bogle is the key to it all.
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