Leeds United fans sing to back the team
Leeds United fans sing to back the team
George Wood/Getty Images
Former Leeds United star Dominic Matteo has warned the Whites not to do anything silly against Manchester United, though admitted he does want to see tackles flying in when the Red Devils visit Elland Road.
The Yorkshire club played their first Premier League game after the international break on Saturday, against Arsenal, where they ended up losing 2-1.
James Justin gave Leeds the lead in the 55th minute, but Arsenal quickly responded to equalise in the 62nd minute and eventually took the lead in the 70th minute.
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However, a Leeds legend believes Daniel Farke could have done little more to prevent his side from losing to Arsenal.
The defeat ended the Whites’ unbeaten Premier League run and dropped them to seventh place in the table.
The Yorkshire club will now have to put the loss behind them as they are set to host rivals Manchester United next weekend.
The Red Devils are struggling with their form and have won just one out of six Premier League games.
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Season Position
2025-56 14th
2024–25 1st (Championship, promoted)
2023–24 3rd (Championship, playoff runners-up)
2022–23 19th
2021–22 17th
Matteo highlighted the importance of beating Manchester United, stressing that the players must deliver for the fans and recognising what victory would mean to them personally and to the club.
He has warned the Whites not to do anything silly against the Red Devils, with emotions expected to run high along with the ‘electric’ atmosphere at Elland Road, but does want to see tackles flying in.
The Leeds legend described the fixture as a derby, while stressing that the Whites must focus on securing victory and coming out on top.
Speaking on LUTV (20:20), he said: “You’ve got to understand how important that game is to the fans. It’s massive.
“Any game like that, you want to win that game for the fans and for yourself and for your all that everything comes with that.
“So, it’s like for me, you want them tackles flying in.
“And be careful with them, obviously. But you’ve got to be physical. You’ve got to want it a little bit more. And I think we can take a lot from what happened [against Arsenal].
“And then going into this game, I just think it’s going to be electric at Elland Road. It really is and I think the fans will set the tone like they always do.
“And it’s up to the players then to respond because, a game like that, there’s got to be nerves. You’ve got to feel that a little bit.
“You’ve got to feel that bit of emotion, but it’s that emotion that has to be used properly to make sure you don’t do anything silly because we’ve all done it at times, especially against Man United.
“You want to tackle someone. You want to whack somebody because that’s the way it is.
“It’s a derby game in my eyes.
“But you just want to make sure that you come out on top in this game. Simple as that.”
With pressure growing on Michael Carrick, Leeds will sense an opportunity to go after a Manchester United side struggling with expectations.
Leeds will also be the fresher of the two sides as Manchester United face Atletico Madrid in Spain on Tuesday night.