Manchester United and Leeds Set to Clash in Historic Dublin Friendly

Manchester United and Leeds United will face off in a pre-season friendly at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. Their rivalry dates back to 1923, making their meetings some of the most anticipated fixtures when the season schedule is released.

Leeds earned bragging rights recently by beating Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford in April, a result that helped boost their Premier League survival hopes. Despite this, United have dominated historically, leading with 50 wins out of 115 encounters.

This upcoming match, while unofficial as a friendly, could still be fiercely competitive. With the new Premier League season starting next week, both teams will be keen to find form ahead of the campaign.

Where to Watch Manchester United vs Leeds

• Date: Wednesday, August 12
• Kick-off: 7:30pm UK time
• UK Broadcast: Free on ITV1, STV, and Premier Sports 2
• MUTV Subscription: £29.99 per year for United fans
• LUTV Match Pass: £5 for Leeds fans (not available in the Republic of Ireland)

The match will take place at Croke Park, which is hosting a football game for the first time since 2009. This iconic Dublin stadium holds 82,300 spectators and is close to selling out for this event.

Team News Ahead of the Game

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick may rest Mason Mount, who suffered a knock in their recent match against Paris Saint-Germain. Carrick commented, "He got kicked, he 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."

Injuries keep Manuel Ugarte sidelined after ACL surgery. Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Sesko, and Kobbie Mainoo are also unavailable.

Leeds have Gabriel Gudmundsson out, with Lucas Perri and Ilia Gruev dealing with minor injuries. New signing James Trafford, who completed a club-record £40 million move from Manchester City on August 6, might make his debut. He did not feature in Leeds' 2-0 win over RB Leipzig.

Pre-season Form for Both Sides

United started their summer with a 1-0 loss to Wrexham but rebounded strongly by thrashing Rosenborg 5-0. They followed that with a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid and a 1-1 draw against European champions PSG.

Leeds also lost to Wrexham 3-2 but then recorded wins against Sunderland (1-0) and Liverpool (4-2), before their recent success over RB Leipzig.

Following the Dublin match, Leeds will face FC Augsburg in their final pre-season fixture, while United will play AC Milan. Both clubs then begin their Premier League seasons on the first Saturday, with United visiting Hull City and Leeds traveling to Nottingham Forest.