Leeds United face Sunderland at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey on Thursday, kicking off at 6.30pm local time (11.30pm BST), in the middle fixture of a three city US tour that also includes Wrexham in Tampa and Liverpool in Chicago.
Leeds finished 14th in the Premier League last season on 47 points in their first campaign back in the top flight. Their underlying numbers suggest they deserved considerably more, averaging 1.46 xG and 1.41 xGA at home, while a home xPTS total of 34.16 ranked sixth in the division.
Sunderland also exceeded expectations in their first season back among the elite, finishing seventh on 54 points, although their underlying profile was far less convincing. They averaged just 1.08 xG and 1.62 xGA at home, figures more typical of a bottom half side than one challenging for Europe.
Leeds began their American tour with a 3-2 defeat to Wrexham in Tampa despite creating enough chances to win the game. Joel Piroe and Sean Longstaff twice hauled Daniel Farke's side level before Sam Smith struck a late winner for Wrexham.
Farke refused to overreact afterwards, telling LUTV his players “should have won this game” based on the chances created, while stressing the priority at this stage of preseason is building fitness rather than chasing results. Leeds have been working through demanding twice daily training sessions and travelled without several senior players, something reflected in both the performance and the level of rotation.
Sunderland arrive following a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool in Nashville, although the scoreline failed to reflect long periods of the match. Regis Le Bris praised his side afterwards, describing Sunderland as “dominant in the first half” and highlighting the influence of Enzo Le Fee, whose creativity and understanding with teammates continues to grow.
Sunderland twice led through Le Fee and Timur Tutierov before Liverpool's greater depth eventually told. As with Leeds, several players involved at the World Cup have been granted additional time off, meaning both squads remain well below full strength for this stage of preseason.
How the bookies view it
At the time of writing there are no odds available for this fixture.
Head to head: Sunderland have a strong history against Leeds
Sunderland have enjoyed the better of recent meetings, winning five of the last 12 matches between the clubs. Leeds have won three, with the remaining four ending level. Sunderland claimed a 1-0 Premier League victory as recently as March, while the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light finished 1-1 last December.
Player to watch: Sean Longstaff to get his Leeds career going this season
Sean Longstaff made an encouraging start to preseason against Wrexham, creating Joel Piroe's goal before curling home Leeds' second equaliser. It was one of the brightest individual performances despite the defeat.
His first season at Elland Road was disrupted by competition for places, resulting in only 10 starts across 23 appearances and a return of two goals and two assists. A strong preseason offers the midfielder an opportunity to establish himself as a regular starter heading into his second campaign with the club.
Predicted line ups
Leeds United (4-3-3): Cairns; Justin, Rodon, Cresswell, Lienou; Ampadu, Longstaff, Mills; Gnonto, Piroe, James.
Sunderland (4-3-3): Ellborg; Mukiele, Ballard, Reinildo, Hume; Browne, O'Nien, Rigg; Le Fee, Isidor, Mundle.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams to score would be the standout early angle if the market is priced fairly.
Leeds created enough opportunities to outscore Wrexham but still conceded three times, exposing defensive issues that Farke will want to address before the Premier League season begins.
Sunderland also found the net twice against Liverpool despite facing stronger opposition, with Enzo Le Fee continuing to impress and the attack looking dangerous throughout the opening hour.
Neither manager is placing much importance on results at this stage, but both opening fixtures followed a similar pattern. The attacking play looked further advanced than the defensive organisation, something that is common during preseason when fitness and experimentation take priority. If those trends continue in New Jersey, another open game with chances at both ends looks the most likely outcome.
Leeds Utd vs Sunderland Betting Tips & Predictions
Further Reading
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