Manchester United will face Leeds in Sweden on Saturday, as both sides will play in their first official preseason game of the summer. The Red Devils have a lengthy preseason schedule, as they have five games slated before the new season kicks off. After facing Leeds, they have games scheduled with West Ham, Bournemouth, Everton and Fiorentina. Ruben Anorim and his staff likely wanted to get in some extra work this offseason due to the horrific nature of their previous campaign.
On the bright side, Saturday could be the first time that United fans see their new signing Matheus Cunha play for the club. Cunha didn’t come cheap, costing over 60 million pounds for their new number 10.
United should have a second big signing on the way shortly, as it was reported on Friday that they have finally reached an agreement with Brentford for Bryan Mbeumo. The deal has not been announced officially yet, so fans will have to wait a little longer to see Mbeumo in the red shirt.
As for Leeds, this is the start of a three-game preseason slate. After this match, they will face Villarreal and AC Milan. After spending the last two seasons in the Championship, Leeds will be looking for a good offseason that can help propel them at the start of the new campaign. It won’t be easy, however, as in the last two seasons, all three promoted teams have faced relegation and gone straight back down. Leeds will be looking to end that streak and re-establish their footing in England’s top-flight division.
As for the game on hand Saturday, Man United opening up as big favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook is no shocker, and I expect them to win this game. Leeds will not be used to this kind of competition, having played in the Championship for the last few years, and I think it will take the team a few games to adjust to the higher level. This preseason is also massively important for Ruben Anorim to show that the team is making progress, so even in friendly games, the pressure is on. The gap in quality here is massive, and I love the Red Devils’ chances at -145 odds.
