2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: LEEDS UNITED

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As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-30T08:30:00.000Z

2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: LEEDS UNITED

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-30T08:30:00.000Z

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

Today we take a look at Leeds United…

What's their history?

After its predecessor Leeds City was disbanded, Leeds United Football Club was formed in 1919.

The Whites were elected to the Football League a year later and their first major trophy came in 1967/68, when they beat Arsenal to win the League Cup.

That sparked a period of success in the 1970s, in which the Elland Road club won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final, the FA Cup and Division 1, in addition to narrowly missing out in a European Cup final.

After a UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2001, Leeds went through a period of turbulence that eventually saw them drop to League One after going into voluntary administration.

They fought back, however, and were promoted back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence in 2020.

Leeds enjoyed three seasons in the top flight before being relegated at the end of 2022/23, and after suffering play-off final heartbreak in 2023/24, the Whites were promoted in May with 100 points.

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Stadium

Elland Road was originally built in 1897 and occupied by Holbeck Rugby Club.

The afore-mentioned Leeds City then moved in and after the club was renamed, the ground started to properly take shape in the early 1920s.

57,892 fans packed into the West Yorkshire venue for an FA Cup fifth round replay against Sunderland in 1967, while the current capacity sits just short of 38,000.

Earlier this year, the Whites unveiled proposed images for the enhancement of the stadium.

Burnley have travelled their 33 times over the years, winning seven times.

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Last season

Burnley and Leeds United were the standout performers in the Championship last season, both claiming 100 points with impressive campaigns.

The Whites were beaten just four times in the league, earning 29 victories and 13 draws.

Leeds lost just one of their last 28 games and finished the campaign with six straight wins, including a final day triumph over Plymouth Argyle.

Their Carabao Cup journey ended with a first round defeat to Middlesbrough, while they lost to Millwall in the FA Cup fourth round after beating Harrogate Town.

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Who's the boss?

Daniel Farke enjoyed a 14-year playing career as a striker in the German lower leagues, retiring in 2008.

His first job was a success, spending six years at SV Lippstadt and winning two promotions before taking charge of Borussia Dortmund II.

Farke moved to England for the first time ahead of the 2017/18 season and had an up and down four years in Norfolk, bouncing between the Championship and Premier League.

After brief spells at Krasnodar in Russia and Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany, the 48-year-old joined Leeds United in 2023.

Having narrowly missed out on promotion in his first season, Farke guided the Canaries to the Championship title last season with 100 points.

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Memorable meeting

14/09/2024 – Leeds United 0-1 Burnley (Elland Road)

Luca Koleosho scored the only goal as the Clarets earned a statement victory at promotion rivals Leeds United early in last season’s Championship campaign.

The Italian youth international ran the length of the Leeds half before confidently slotting past Illan Meslier at a packed-out Elland Road last September.

Leeds rallied in the second half and tested James Trafford late on, but our ‘keeper stood firm to record one of his 29 league clean sheets.

Burnley: Trafford, Humphreys, Estève, Worrall, Pires, Brownhill (Massengo 90+2), Laurent, Hannibal (Cullen 73), Koleosho (Sarmiento 65), Flemming (Hountondji 90+2), Anthony

Unused substitutes: Hladky, Egan-Riley, Agyei, Egan, Rodriguez

Leeds United: Meslier, Bogle, Firpo (Byram 78), Ampadu (Rothwell 68), Struijk, Rodon (Tanaka 85), Gruev, Solomon (Ramazani 78), Aaronson (Piroe 68), Joseph, Gnonto

Unused substitutes: Darlow, Debayo, Gelhardt, Schmidt