Leeds United's injured players had mostly just recovered, so the international break did not have much of an impact on the team, with only Kasper Schmeichel being called up to the national team.

Li Shiguang also took advantage of the international match day to give the team three days off, allowing everyone to rest well and spend time with their families.

After a two-week break, Leeds United will finally host Manchester United this week.

The Premier League is never short of talking points when it comes to big matches. As the most watched match of this round, some media outlets have been making predictions and analyses about this game since last week.

The Daily Mail column stated, "Without a doubt, this is the highlight of this round of the Premier League, and fans are eagerly anticipating a thrilling match. Looking at the recent statistics of both teams, even though Manchester United lost at home to Arsenal, we believe that as league leaders, they still have the better chance of winning. Leeds United's recent league performance is somewhat worrying; in their last two matches against relatively weak opponents, they have only managed one loss and one draw. After seven rounds, they have already widened the gap to eight points with league leaders Manchester United!"

Besides traditional media, Twitter's rapid development in England has provided a more convenient platform for fans to express their opinions, and more and more online discussions about football are now shifting from various forums to Twitter.

Therefore, throughout the past week, you can see fans from both sides arguing fiercely in various blog posts predicting the outcome of this match.

"Haha, Leeds United are bound to lose this game. We didn't lose to them last season!"

"Bullshit! Have you selectively forgotten the League Cup final where Leeds United came back to defeat us?"

"I mean, we haven't lost to you guys in the league yet!"

"What a coincidence, you're going to lose this weekend!"

"Impossible! Look at your attacking line. It's been silent for almost a month. Both goals in the last two games came from long-range shots by the defensive midfielder. With this level of skill, you think you can break through Ferdinand and Vidic's defense?"

"Haha, I'm dying of laughter. Who cares who scored? Even if it was Schmeichel, it's still a goal. What law says a defensive midfielder can't score? Ridiculous!"

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Manchester United have been in excellent form since the start of the season. Like Leeds United, they have won two consecutive Champions League matches and are currently top of Group F. In the league, Manchester United have achieved a record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, accumulating 16 points and ranking first in the Premier League.

Affected by a wave of injuries, Leeds United have only managed 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in the league, accumulating 8 points and currently sitting in 12th place with one game in hand.

If we only look at the results since the start of the Premier League season, Leeds United are indeed at a disadvantage.

But Li Shiguang knew very well that Ferguson was not much better off than he was.

Just as Li Shiguang thought, Ferguson has indeed been having a tough time lately. Like Leeds United, Manchester United is competing on three fronts. However, Ferguson is under even more pressure than Li Shiguang. Last season, Manchester United failed to advance from the Champions League group stage, which greatly angered him. Therefore, he dared not take the first two Champions League group stage matches this season lightly. Although they won, the dense schedule also affected Manchester United's performance in the league.

If it weren't for Li Shiguang's outburst against the FA at the end of last month, it would probably have been Ferguson himself who jumped out to criticize. When he saw the news of Li Shiguang's fine, he even had the urge to pay half of it for Li Shiguang...

····

Finally, the date arrived: October 14, 2006.

At 6:30 p.m., nearly half an hour before the match was scheduled to start, Elland Road Stadium, which had increased its seating capacity to over 50,000, was almost full. Even the plaza outside the stadium was filled with fans who hadn't bought tickets and could only watch the game on the large screen in the plaza.

As the highlight of this round of the Premier League, all the major television stations in England have chosen to broadcast this match.

Meanwhile, in the Sky Sports studio, Lineker was sitting behind a table introducing the starting lineups for both teams.

"Good evening, fans. Thank you for tuning in to Sky Sports to watch this game tonight. Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both sides."

"First up is Leeds United, playing at home. Today, Lee still fielded the 4-4-2 formation, which he has used most this season."

"In goal, perhaps because Schmeichel just returned from the national team, young Neuer started today; in defense, Lahm is left-back, Maicon is right-back, and Cannavaro and Kompany are the two center-backs; in midfield, Leeds made some changes today, with Mascherano and Yaya Toure starting in the defensive midfield positions, and Bale and Ribery on the left and right respectively. I was quite surprised by Leeds United's midfield changes today, and I will analyze them with today's special guest later; then, the two forwards are Torres and Podolski, while Ibrahimovic, who has been performing well recently, did not get a starting opportunity! That's a bit strange, isn't it?"

Li Shiguang's lineup today surprised Rheinkel, as it was quite different from what he had previously guessed.

But since it was a live broadcast, he temporarily suppressed his desire to discuss Leeds United's lineup with the special guest next to him and continued to introduce Manchester United's starting lineup.

"Next, let's take a look at Ferguson's lineup. Manchester United are also playing a 4-4-2, but unlike Leeds United, their midfield is in a diamond formation, which is also the formation Ferguson has used most this season. In goal, the veteran Van der Sar remains; the defense is lined up with Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, and Gary Neville; in midfield, Carrick plays as the lone holding midfielder, with Giggs and Ronaldo on the left and right flanks, and Scholes in central midfield; the two forwards are Rooney and Berbatov, and this is Berbatov's first return to Elland Road since joining Manchester United!"

After introducing the lineups of both sides, Rheinkel immediately put down the documents in his hand and asked the special guest sitting next to him about his doubts.

"Hello Kevin, welcome to the Sky Sports studio today. I'm curious, as a former manager of Leeds United, and having faced them once last season, you must be quite familiar with Leeds United. So what are your thoughts on Leeds' unusual lineup today?"

That's right, the one sitting next to Rheinkel today.

Kevin Blackwell, who had been unable to find a new job since leaving West Bromwich Albion...