Manchester United and Leeds Set for Historic Pre-Season Clash at Dublin's Croke Park

Manchester United and Leeds United will face off in a pre-season friendly match at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. This encounter rekindles one of English football’s longstanding rivalries that dates back to 1923.

Their intense contests have become a highlight when the Premier League calendar is released. Although this upcoming match won’t count towards official records as it is a friendly, anticipation runs high as both teams look to build momentum before the new season kicks off.

Recent Form and Historical Records

Leeds claimed a memorable 2-1 victory over United at Old Trafford in April, which was crucial for their Premier League survival. Despite that win, Manchester United still hold the upper hand historically with 50 wins from their 115 meetings.

Both clubs are eager to start the new season positively, and this match provides a chance to test their squads and strategies.

Viewing Information

• Date: Wednesday, August 12
• Kick-off: 7:30 pm UK time
• UK Broadcast: Free on ITV1, STV, and Premier Sports 2
• Manchester United Fans: MUTV subscription at £29.99 per year
• Leeds Fans: LUTV match pass available for £5 (not accessible in the Republic of Ireland)

Croke Park, Ireland’s largest stadium with an 82,300 capacity, will host the match. It hasn’t seen a football game since 2009 when Ireland lost to France in a World Cup play-off. The venue is nearly sold out as excitement builds.

Team News

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick may rest Mason Mount after a recent injury sustained against Paris Saint-Germain. Mount was able to leave the pitch unaided, but caution is advised as the club has been fortunate with injuries so far.

"He got kicked," Carrick said. "We just wanted to be careful and look after him. We’ve been lucky with injuries so far so we wanted to be careful."

Several players are sidelined for United, including Manuel Ugarte (post ACL surgery), Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Sesko, and Kobbie Mainoo.

Leeds have only Gabriel Gudmundsson missing due to injury, while Lucas Perri and Ilia Gruev are also nursing minor issues. James Trafford might make his debut after completing a club-record £40 million transfer from Manchester City on August 6. He did not feature in Leeds’ 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig.

Pre-Season Performances

Manchester United began their summer with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Wrexham but followed it up with a 5-0 win against Rosenborg. They then secured a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid and drew 1-1 with European champions PSG.

Leeds also started with a 3-2 defeat to Wrexham but bounced back with wins over Sunderland (1-0) and Liverpool (4-2), plus their recent success against RB Leipzig.

Following the Dublin match, Leeds will play FC Augsburg in their final pre-season fixture, while United prepare to face AC Milan. Both clubs will then begin the Premier League campaign on the opening Saturday: United visit Hull City, broadcast live on talkSPORT, while Leeds travel to Nottingham Forest.