Match Preview: Leeds v Sunderland – everything you need to know ahead of kick-off
Monday 17th February 2025
(2nd) Leeds United v Sunderland (4th)
Championship
Elland Road
Kick-Off: 20:00
Tickets & Match Coverage
Tickets: Tickets have sold out.
TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available on Sky Sports Football in the UK & Ireland.
Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)
The build-up…
Another week and another “huge” or “must-win” game. They seem to come thick and fast when you get yourself into a useful position at this stage of the season. Funny that.
There will be more twists and turns to come, but there’s no denying the fact that tonight is a biggy. Leeds will see it as a chance to stay clear and potentially have one less side to compete with if they stretch it to a ten point gap between themselves and us. On the other hand, we can blow the race wide open between the four sides if we claim maximum points.
No pressure then.
Having said that, and without wanting to tempt fate, we do seem to be performing better in the higher profile games recently, especially away from home. We stepped it up in performance level for the two games against Sheffield United and then the following fixtures against Burnley and Middlesbrough, where we probably deserved a bigger points total from the selection of games based on performance alone.
We’re in good form having lost once in 14 and our current run of eight unbeaten means we can go to Leeds with a bit of confidence – but I’m sure, as long as we don’t miss two penalties or something crazy like that, we’d all be pretty happy with a point tonight.
They’ll feel they should have returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking last season, but surely they must do it this season – and potentially with style.
They sit second having scored 15 more goals than anyone else. At the other end, they haven’t conceded in six league games.
They did suffer a blip recently, but that came in the FA Cup when Alex Neil’s Millwall won 0-2 at Elland Road, and they returned to form with a 0-4 thumping of Watford at Vicarage Road three days later.
Daniel Frake’s side are unbeaten in 14 and lost only once in 18, but we can hold on to some hope in the fact that we’re unbeaten on our last five trips to West Yorkshire. Three wins and two draws have been achieved since our last defeat which came back in 2002, when Peter Reid’s side were beaten 2-0 by David O’Leary’s Leeds via an own goal by Jody Craddock and another by Robbie Keane.
The betting…
The bookies have the Lads at 21/4 for the win, with Leeds priced at a short 1/2 to pick up all three points and the draw is 3/1.
Last time we met… at Elland Road
9th April 2024
Championship
Leeds United 0-0 Sunderland
Leeds United: Meslier, Gray (C. Roberts), Firpo, Gruev, Rodon, Ampadu, James (Prioe), Kamara (Gnonto), Bamford (Joseph), Rutter, Summerville Subs: Darlow, Byram, Cresswell, Cooper, Anthony
Sunderland: Patterson, Pembele (Alese), Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Styles, Neil, Ekwah, Rigg (Roberts), Clarke, Bellingham (Hemir) Subs: Bishop, Hjelde, Aouchiche, Dack, Ba, Mundle
Attendance: 36,793
Played For Both…
Michael Bridges
Bridges broke onto the scene as a 17-year-old during the Lads title-winning season of 1995-96 under Peter Reid, scoring important goals to help us over the line and secure promotion to the Premier League.
After struggling to become a permanent fixture in the starting XI behind the Quinn/Phillips partnership, he moved to Leeds United for a record fee of £5m in 1999. Injuries would blight his five years at Elland Road, which resulted in Bridges being released in 2004.
He would return to Sunderland in 2004 for a brief spell that was one of many moves before he retired in 2015.
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