Chris Waddle
Ex-England winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

I'm interested to see where Jesse Lingard plays. Bruno Fernandes will play behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and that means Lingard will be off the left or right. That's not his game. If you pay Lingard, play him behind Ronaldo because he's brilliant at making runs into the box, he's got a lot of energy. It is strange for him to come in on the right.

Image source, BBC Sport

This should be a good game because both sides have got something to prove at the moment and it's normally pretty lively when they play each other anyway.

Leeds didn't really turn up last week against Everton at Goodison,but there is no danger of that happening when Manchester United are at Elland Road.

Manchester United were far from convincing when I watched them beat Brighton on Tuesday. Again, the result was on a knife edge until right near the end but they are still picking up points despite not playing particularly well, and I think they will beat Leeds.

Ralf Rangnick's side have found it difficult when sides have sat in against them, but Leeds won't do that. There are going to be times when the door is left open for the visitors, but can they take their chances this time?

Lawro's prediction:1-2

Chris Waddle
Ex-England winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

Raphinha has been hooked because [Marcelo Bielsa] wasn't happy with the performance at Everton. It wasn't just him; Leeds were very poor. We don't know what has happened after that, but in a game like this, he should be playing. He's Leeds best player.

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick, speaking to Sky Sports: "He [Jesse Lingard] looked sharp in training, he's got a lot of experience. He's a player who covers a lot of the pitch.

"He's ready, he's looking forward to the game. That's what it's all about.

"We need to be as aggressive as we can be. I'm not so concerned about out technical abilities, we have to be aggressive in these environments.

"We know it will be emotional. The last game that took place here was without spectators. The last one before that was I think in 2003.

"But of course we've played other away games where the atmosphere will be like this."

To a point, see Jose Mourinho (2016-18), Kevin. That all ended in tears as well.

Kevin Campbell
Former Everton and Arsenal striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Any manager who goes into Manchester United that goes in there and is successful is just another manager who adds to their success.

You can’t ignore what has gone on in the past but you have to find a way. The spectre of Sir Alex Ferguson is sometimes very difficult for incoming managers to handle.

It’s an incredibly tough task to ask but the new manager has to do it his way. I think the Manchester United fans would take winning now irrespective of how because they just have not been at the races of late.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United are unbeaten in six league away games since a 4-1 loss at Watford in November.

However, the Red Devils have dropped six points from winning positions in that run in matches against Chelsea, Aston Villa and Burnley.

And guess what...?

They are amazingly just six points worse off than at the same stage last season, when they were second in the table 10 points behind the then leaders, Manchester City.

Just shows how they have failed to kick on as the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool have hit more expected levels of performance and results this term.

As you can see there is quite a lot riding on this one for both sides. Manchester United really need to get points on the board to hold off the likes of West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham and even possibly Wolves in the race for a top four spot.

Meanwhile, Leeds' need for points is even more obvious. A win today would lift them up a place in the table and steer them clear of trouble.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

The Manchester United players are currently going through some old school and fairly typical match-day shooting drills.

Cristiano Ronaldo lashes a left footer over the bar after being teed up. Judging by the huge cheer inside Elland Road I think the locals enjoyed that.

Adam Pope
BBC West Yorkshire Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United supporters have been explaining to BBC Radio Leeds what the first visit of Manchester United in the top flight to a packed Elland Road for almost 20 years means to them.

Heidi, a seasoned campaigner who has followed the Whites for decades and can not even call her bitterest opponent by name, said: "That team from over the Pennines who I detest after all these years as soon as they come out onto the pitch. It means so much for us to be on the winning side."

Gareth, who has seen it all over the years, added. "It's massive for many reasons. There's always been that rivalry dating back to the 60s and part of the 70s when we were vying for honours. Then in 1990 when we came back up it was the first game I looked for. It was my first real experience of witnessing home and away against them. Pipping them for the title in '92 was the best footballing moment in my life. On Sunday it will not be for the faint hearted."

Long-suffering Andrew can feel his reward is close. "For all the years we've traipsed up and down League One and Championship grounds there's always that belief that one day we'd get back to the Premier League and to this fixture at the home of the real passionate football fans."

By contrast, Jack, who is in his 20s, said: "It's my first time experiencing it as a fan in the Premier League. I'm excited. A lot of people have told me a lot about it."

But it is Mick who no doubt speaks for so many families across the city this weekend: "Expectation levels are higher, the volume is higher. I remember my son Alex saying on Christmas Eve in 1995 'why is it not always like this dad?' We won 3-1 and the roof came off."

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Elland Road

Manchester United players were greeted by the time-honoured gestures of disapproval from Leeds United supporters as they came out to warm up at Elland Road.

This will be some atmosphere.

Image source, Getty Images

Unwanted stories clearly spread mind. In this case over the Pennines, where Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has refused to discuss his future amid speculation over him remaining as head coach for another season.

Bielsa, 65, prefers to sign one-year contracts at the end of each campaign and was in no mood to offer any insight into his long-term plans when pressed on it earlier this week after former RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch was linked with the club

When asked to clarify his own position before Sunday's match against Manchester United, Bielsa said: "It's not a subject that we should talk about at this moment."

Except of course all the papers do want to chat about that with Leeds director of football Victor Orta apparently a long-time admirer of American Marsch, 48, who left Leipzig in December.

Kevin Campbell
Former Everton and Arsenal striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

You look at the dressing room and you do need your experienced players to help a new manager. I don’t think that is happening at Manchester United right now.

They are all talented players and superstars but it is that culture of being able to demand the same standards.

You have to look to your senior players to help your younger players and set those standards. You keep hearing the narratives and there are moles in the dressing room. This sort of thing happens when there are splits in the camp because we did not hear anything last season.

Some issues in dressing rooms are manager led and some are player led and I believe that at Manchester United it is player led. They were having these issues before Ralf Rangnick came in.

If you have a strong core of senior players to get the team over the hump that is important but it just seems that for the talent level they have, they are nowhere near where they should be.

Football Focus pundits Ashley Williams and Nedum Onuoha weigh in on the "frustrating stories" coming from the Manchester United camp over the last couple of weeks.

Kevin Campbell
Former Everton and Arsenal striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

The noise coming out of Manchester United is the issue. There are a lot of big characters at the club and young players coming through. In the summer they brought in world-class players like Ronaldo and Varane mixed with an up and coming England international like Jadon Sancho.

Then they are all cobbled together and now there is manager in charge who only got six months. It doesn’t make sense. There seems to be a lack of culture in this Manchester United squad.

When you hear an opposition manager turn around and say 'we know that United are not good on the recovery when they turn the ball over,' that should raise alarm bells in that dressing room.

It is one of those things that Ralf Rangnick has got to address. Manchester United have all the talent but it is the togetherness [that is lacking]. Talent is not enough.

Boos ringing around Elland Road already. Oh Manchester United have popped out to warm up.

Roberto Martinez
Belgium manager on BBC Radio 5 Live

You need big personalities in a dressing room and all you need is clarity.

A big personality can be a important member of creating a winning team. You need to have that clarity, be able to align individual objectives and be able to create a winning culture and mentality.

We hear a lot of noise at Manchester United because they are not reaching the level that Manchester City Liverpool and Chelsea are. Players of the calibre of Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo are winners. They have incredible standards. I don’t think that [the captaincy] will be an issue. The big egos in dressing rooms are needed to create big winning machines.

In case you have missed the latest drama around Manchester United in the week there have been one or two reports of a power struggle between Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo over the captaincy.

So not the shaky performances, mixed results or seemingly any sort of direction or shape to their play?

Chris Sutton and Robbie Savage picked up on it with a disgruntled supporter on 606.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Elland Road

The idea of Raphinha missing out on a game of this magnitude would have been unthinkable a few weeks ago but he has been in indifferent form and does not start today after being removed at half-time in the defeat at Everton last week.

Image source, Getty Images

Yep it was Harry Kewell. How good was that Leeds team by the way containing Kewell, Lee Bowyer, Alan Smith, Mark Viduka, Jonathan Woodgate, Nick Barmby, Olivier Dacourt et al.

One or two attacking weapons in that side. Talking of which could Raphinha be the man to unlock the Manchester United defence this afternoon?

If he is to manage that he will have to do it from the bench after being dropped for Adam Forshaw.

The 25-year-old Brazil international has not scored this side of Christmas but you'd think he'll have even more motivation now to put one over on his old Sporting Lisbon mate Bruno Fernandes.