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Match: Leeds United v Stoke City
Date: 5 August 2018
Time: 16.30 BST, 11.30 AM EDT, 8.30 AM PDT
Venue: Elland Road
Television: Sky Sports Football in the UK and Ireland, Fox Sports 1 in Africa, beIN Sports 2 in Australia & New Zealand, Sports Max 2 in the Caribbean, & beIN Sports HD 2 in most of the Middle East
Streaming: ESPN+ in the United States, ESPN Play Sur in Argentina, DAZN in Canada, beIN Sports Connect in Australia & New Zealand, and beIN Sports Connect in the Middle East
Check livesoccertv for more information
All-time Record: Leeds United v Stoke City 44W 18D 28L
| With nearly 34,000 tickets sold, Elland Road is set for its highest opening day attendance in over a decade
— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 4, 2018
Well, here we go.
The Marcelo Bielsa era at Leeds United begins today at Elland Road as Leeds hosts Stoke City at Elland Road.
Stoke will be a stiff test for Leeds, as the Potters were relegated from the Premier League last year and have held on to most of their roster and made a few shrewd signings. Stoke are one of the favourites to go up for a reason, and today’s match is their chance to rain on the Leeds parade.
Leeds, on the other hand, will be looking to start the season off well under their new manager with some new faces in important positions. The club, and fans, will hope that new striker Patrick Bamford will be able to get his first goal for Leeds today, as well as seeing some good performances from Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison, as well as Chelsea loanee Lewis Baker, with one of them perhaps being able to pop in a goal on their Leeds debut.
As for defenders, while the central defence still appears to be a work in progress, the club’s highest profile acquisition, besides Bamford, was the addition of Wolverhampton’s Barry Douglas. The fullback had a remarkable scoring and assist record last year for Wolves, so perhaps he’ll be able to knock in a free kick for a goal. In net, Bailey Peacock-Farrell will get the start, but with Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman also at the club, he’ll likely have a short leash.
Will Leeds be able to win their home debut? Or will Stoke ruin legendary manager Bielsa’s first match in charge of an English club? Either way, it’s a must-watch game.