Leeds vs Man United Prediction: Betting Tips & Odds

Leeds United and Manchester United renew one of English football’s oldest rivalries on Thursday morning New Zealand time at Croke Park in Dublin, with both clubs well into their preparations for the 2026-27 Premier League season.

It’s the first club football fixture ever staged at the 82,000-seat venue. Leeds have won three of four pre-season outings so far, while Man Utd have looked sharp across Scandinavia and are welcoming World Cup players back into the fold.

In this Leeds vs Manchester United preview, I’ve gone through form and squad news for both clubs. I’ve also got a BTTS angle I like if you’re after football betting tips for the week.

Leeds United

Leeds have been impressive this pre-season. 

After losing their opener 3-2 to Wrexham in Tampa, Daniel Farke’s side have won three straight. A 1-0 over Sunderland got them going before a superb 4-2 comeback against Liverpool from 2-0 down in Chicago. Most recently, they beat RB Leipzig 2-0 at Elland Road in a 120-minute game on Saturday.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha have three pre-season goals each. Calvert-Lewin scored twice against Liverpool after coming on at half-time and followed it up with the opener against Leipzig. Sean Longstaff has also chipped in with two goals and been one of their best performers.

New signing Tarik Muharemovic has been dominant at centre-back in every outing so far. He’s been one of my favourite pre-season watches.

Team News: Gruev hasn’t featured since a meniscus knee injury in April and won’t be involved. Gudmundsson went off injured against Liverpool and missed the Leipzig match. Bijol is progressing from a minor knock but may not be ready.

Predicted Lineup: Cairns; Muharemovic, Rodon, Bornauw; Bogle, Ampadu, Longstaff, Justin; Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Wilson.

Manchester United

Man Utd’s pre-season started slowly with a 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki before a 5-0 hammering of Rosenborg got them going. A 2-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid in Stockholm was encouraging, with Bryan Mbeumo scoring twice. And the 1-1 draw with European champions PSG in Gothenburg on Saturday was another strong outing despite conceding inside two minutes.

Mbeumo has been the story of pre-season. Three goals across two games since the Wrexham loss, and he’s looked completely at home on the right. Amad Diallo was outstanding against PSG, creating Mbeumo’s equaliser with brilliant individual work.

Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans both featured against PSG - Fernandes returning from his World Cup break, Tielemans on debut. Carrick will be closer to full strength in Dublin, though Mount’s first-half injury against PSG is a concern.

Team News: Mount is a doubt after going off against PSG. Heaton suffered a hamstring issue in the same game. Ugarte is out long-term with a knee injury. De Ligt remains sidelined.

Predicted Lineup: Bayindir; Dalot, Maguire, Yoro, Shaw; Santos, Tielemans; Amad, Fernandes, Mbeumo; Cunha.

• Leeds won 2-1 at Old Trafford in April, with Noah Okafor scoring twice in their first league win at the ground since 1981.
• Leeds came from 2-0 down to beat Liverpool 4-2 in their most recent pre-season friendly in Chicago.
• Their January Premier League meeting at Elland Road finished 1-1, with Brenden Aaronson and Matheus Cunha exchanging goals within three minutes of each other.
• Man Utd have scored in all four of their pre-season fixtures.
• Over 2.5 goals has come in during three of Leeds’s four pre-season games.

I expect a good game here.

There’s a rivalry element here that you don’t get from the generic pre-season neutral-venue friendly, and I reckon with Croke Park likely to be packed, neither side will be going through the motions.

Man Utd should be favourites given their stronger squad depth and the World Cup players filtering back. But Leeds have been lethal going forward this pre-season, and Calvert-Lewin plus Nmecha up front is a combination that’s given every opponent problems so far. 

I think United win it, probably 2-1, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Leeds turn it into a shootout.

If you’re checking betting sites in NZ for pre-season markets, the goals angle is where I’d be looking here. Both of these sides have been scoring freely.

Both Teams to Score @ $1.75

Leeds have scored in all four of their pre-season games. Man Utd have scored in all four of theirs. Mbeumo has been clinical on the Man Utd side, and Calvert-Lewin can’t stop scoring for Leeds. Both managers will swap starters at half-time, which tends to open the door for fresh legs to find the net.

The January league meeting at Elland Road produced goals from both sides. I can’t see this one being any different, and at $1.75 on the best legal betting sites available in New Zealand, the price is fair enough to back.