Football clubs across the country have been given the go-ahead to arrange friendlies as they step up their fitness preparation.
If everything goes to plan and the Championship returns on June 20th, it will have been over 100 days since Leeds United last took to the field, a longer gap than any regular pre-season.
Given that, Marcelo Bielsa may want to arrange friendlies to help his players regain their match fitness ahead of all-important matches against playoff-chasers Cardiff and promotion rivals Fulham.
But the options are somewhat limited, with rules stating that venues must be no more than 90 minutes away. The Leeds players will also get a taste of Sunday league football, having to travel in their own cars to games and already wearing their kits.
Here are four nearby teams that Leeds could arrange friendlies with.
Sheffield United
Blades boss Chris Wilder made some spiky comments after pipping Leeds to second place last season, so who knows whether he’d be interested in a mutually beneficial arrangement, but it would provide both sides with a competitive test ahead of important remaining fixtures.
Sheffield United get back to action on June 17th with their game-in-hand against Aston Villa. A win would take them above Manchester United into fifth in the Premier League - a spot that could potentially qualify for them for the Champions League, pending Manchester City’s UEFA appeal.
Bramall Lane, located in the heart of Sheffield, could be an ideal venue for a short-notice pre-season friendly, while it would be just as convenient for their players to make the 40-mile trip up north to Leeds.
Burnley
Sean Dyche’s robust and organised Clarets would offer Leeds a top-level mock test of the kind of deep-lying, counter-attacking opposition they’ll mostly face in their final nine Championship matches, not least in the first game back at Cardiff.
On the flipside, Bielsa’s pressing and possession-focused style would offer Burnley some practice for a lot of current Premier League sides.
Leeds haven’t faced Burnley since 2017, when Thomas Christiansen’s men managed a surprise penalty shootout victory after a 2-2 draw in the League Cup at Turf Moor.
It also helps that it's only about an hour’s drive between the two clubs.
Middlesbrough
Leeds have to play Barnsley once again in the Championship, and the animosity with Sheffield Wednesday might make a friendly unlikely, but Leeds have already played Middlesbrough home and away this season and both teams are in need of more preparation.
Former Whites defender Jonathan Woodgate was full of praise for Leeds after they secured a league double over his team, and he’ll want to get plenty of preparation as the Smoggies’ relegation battle resumes.
Both sides could get creative and meet somewhere in the middle. York’s Bootham Crescent is a regular stomping ground for Leeds in pre-season and would be a convenient halfway house.
Harrogate Town
The kind of local lower-level opposition that would usually be involved in United’s pre-season schedule, it remains to be seen whether Harrogate Town would be up to speed, but they need to be on their toes as they await a decision on the National League’s play-offs.
FA Council members have voted to extend the National League season, which could eventually see second-place Harrogate vie for promotion via the play-offs.
