The following news article was added to www.red11.org/news on Wed Mar 05 @ 07:17:59 GMT
MANCHESTER UTD V LEEDS PREVIEW + STATS Old Trafford - Wednesday 5 March, 2003 Kick Off: 2000 GMT Manchester United pair Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre are doubtful for the must-win Premiership clash. Silvestre picked up a knee injury during Sunday's Worthington Cup final defeat by Liverpool, while Brown suffered a recurrence of his recent hamstring problem. Skipper Roy Keane could again be pressed into emergency service alongside Rio Ferdinand in defence. Manchester Utd (from): Barthez, Carroll, Ricardo, G Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O'Shea, Beckham, P Neville, Scholes, Keane, Veron, Butt, Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer, Fortune, Forlan, Roche, Richardson, Pugh, Fletcher. Leeds manager Terry Venables faces a selection crisis. He is without Jason Wilcox (flu), Dominic Matteo and Michael Duberry (both hamstring) and Eirik Bakke (ankle), while Harry Kewell serves a one-match suspension. Gary Kelly is also struggling with a hamstring problem, while Lucas Radebe is again doubtful with his ongoing knee injuries. The only bonus is that Mark Viduka returns from a three-match ban, replacing Kewell up front. Leeds (from): Robinson, Kelly, Harte, Radebe, Viduka, Bravo, Barmby, McPhail, Lucic, Smith, Mills, Johnson, Okon, Burns, Kilgallon, Milner, Martyn. MOST SIGNIFICANT STATS Manchester United, who in a brief fortnight saw their dreams of quadruple honours reduced to a possible Premiership and Champions League double, now entertain Leeds in their 50th game of the season. If United are to keep in touch in the Championship race, they must follow Sunday's disappointment of the 2-0 defeat by Liverpool in the Worthington Cup Final by taking maximum points against another of their arch rivals to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to five points. Should the seven times Premiership champions register fewer points than Newcastle at Middlesbrough, they will surrender second spot in the table. The Red Devils have drawn their last two Premiership matches both one-one, home to Man City and away to Bolton, but are unbeaten in eight Premiership games. Their last League loss was 3-1 at Middlesbrough on Boxing Day, and the last time they suffered a League reverse at home was the famous 0-1 victory by Bolton on 11 September. Leeds have not won at Old Trafford in the Premiership, but having beaten Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the reverse fixture with the aid of a Harry Kewell goal in September, the Yorkshire club are hoping to inflict on Man U their first double reverse of the League campaign and notch a second 'double' themselves, having already beaten West Ham home and away. Leeds did get a point in a 1-1 draw on their last trip to the Theatre of Dreams but travel across the Pennines after suffering three successive League defeats on the road at Man C (2-1), Chelsea (3-2) and Everton (2-0). Both clubs lost last time out. Man U at the Millennium Stadium, and Leeds 0-3 at home to Newcastle. They will be wanting a morale boosting result here ahead of Sunday's tricky FA Cup Quarter-final at First Division renound Cup fighters Sheffield United. The Red Devils have failed to score in just one of their last 22 Premiership games. Leeds' have an identical League record home and away - 5 wins, 2 draws, 7 defeats, 17 points. In their 14 games on the road they have scored 20 goals and also conceded 20. CURRENT LEAGUE POSITION MANCHESTER UNITED 2nd 55 points Best poss: 2nd Worst poss: 3rd LEEDS UNITED 15th 34 points Best poss: 12th Worst poss: 15th SEQUENCES / RECENT FORM MANCHESTER UNITED 11 wins from last 16 League and Cup games Lost 2 of last 5 in all competitions 2 draws in last 6 8 UNBEATEN IN THE PREMIERSHIP [6 wins, 2 draws] DRAWN LAST 2 LEAGUE GAMES UNDEFEATED IN 11 HOME TOP FLIGHT GAMES [9 wins, 1 draw] SCORED ONE GOAL IN EACH OF LAST 3 TOP DIVISION ENCOUNTERS SCORED IN EACH OF LAST 9 PREMIERSHIP OUTINGS CONCEDED ONE GOAL IN EACH OF LAST 2 LEEDS UNITED Only 1 win in last 6 Premiership games Lost 3 of last 4 in the top division, and 4 of last 6 LOST LAST 3 AWAY LEAGUE GAMES Failed to score in 3 of last 5 Premier League encounters Kept 4 clean sheets in last 8 top flight starts POTENTIAL CAREER MILESTONES MANCHESTER UNITED If he plays, Juan Senastian VERON will be making his 50th League appearance for Man U. LEEDS UNITED If he lines up, Paul ROBINSON will be making his 50th career League appearance - all for Leeds. HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS All Man U Leeds Draws Total meetings* 101 42 25 34 Premiership 21 11 4 6 League+ 89 35 23 31 * includes all games from the Premiership, Football League, FA Cup, League Cup and major European competitions + denotes Premiership and Football League LEEDS AT MANCHESTER UNITED Total Won Lost Drawn League+ 44 8 20 16 Premiership 10 0 7 3 + denotes Premiership and Football LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME Manchester United 1-1 Leeds United Old Trafford 27 October, 2001 Man U scorer: Solskjaer 89 Leeds U scorer: Viduka 77 Att: 67,555 Ref: Dermot Gallagher MATCH NOTES: The phenomenon that is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gets another late equaliser to cancel out Mark Viduka second half goal for a point a piece. Robbie Keane pushed David Beckham and was lucky to stay on. Referee Dermot Gallacher was demoted to the Nationwide League for a while, as a result. THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE Leeds United 1-0 Manchester United Elland Road 14 September, 2002 Leeds scorer: Kewell 67 Att: 39,622 Ref: Jeff Winter MATCH NOTES: Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Juan Sebastian Veron were missing from the Man U line-up and Nicky Butt limped off with a hip injury. Soon after, the game was sewn up by Leeds as Harry Kewell got to a free header from Ian Harte's cross. Referee Jeff Winter missed David Beckham's elbow on Lee Bowyer. HEAD TO HEAD NOTES Leeds have not won a Premiership game at Old Trafford. Man U are unbeaten in 13 home League games against Leeds, spanning a period of 21 years. Leeds' only win in 18 visits to Old Trafford (16 in the League) was 0-1 in the old First Division on 28 February, 1981. The North Yorkshire club could complete their first 'double' over the Red Devils in the Premiership and only their third over them since the League fixture was first contested in 1923. Leeds have failed to score in eight of their ten Premiership visits to Old Trafford. ck to top REFEREE REPORT - MAN IN THE MIDDLE GRAHAM POLL (Tring, Hertfordshire) Total Prem gms Red cards Yellow cards 17 2 49 OTHERS OFFICIALS Assistant Michael Cairns Assistant Ceri Richards Fourth Official Uriah Rennie Delegate Steve Lodge news.bbc.co.uk http://www.red11.org/news Theatre Of Dreams: http://www.Red11.org *************************** All you need to know about Manchester United Football Club Webmasters: Barry Leeming & Bill McArthur Reports: Salford Lass & Red Kelly Graphics: Sam Hayward Stats: Paul Hinson "Official MuTV Masterfan" 1999 **************************** To SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE to RED11 MUFC Daily News: Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *************************************** Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe from the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! 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