MANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – Manchester United and Leeds United will rekindle one of the fiercest rivalries in English soccer after a five-year hiatus on Sunday and Alex Ferguson is anticipating the FA Cup clash as eagerly as anyone.
United manager Ferguson, celebrating his 68th birthday yesterday, said he expected the third round tie at Old Trafford to bring back stirring memories of matches against Leeds, who were relegated from the Premier League in 2004.
“Over the years they have always been fantastic, feisty occasions every time we met,” he said at a news conference. “We used to have some great games at Leeds because the atmosphere was always electric and our record was pretty good there.
“There was always a tinge of hostility. I always said to the players, make sure you behave yourselves properly on the pitch because we don’t need to add to the problems off the pitch, the way that hostility always seemed to hover around the game.”
