Leeds United conclude their 2025/26 pre-season with a home fixture against AC Milan on Saturday.
Leeds fans have been able to get a glimpse of all the hard work put in ahead of a return to the Premier League.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing, but Farke has a new formation in 4-3-3 to use next campaign, as his experiment paid off against Man United.
The Germany tour was next, which saw Anton Stach grab an assist on debut and was then followed up by a below-par performance at Elland Road against Villarreal.
Now the Whites have their last audition against Max Allegri’s AC Milan side, and the Italian could have had the chance to be in the Leeds dugout.
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Max Allegri once said that the Leeds United job didn’t ‘excite him’
With Marcelo Bielsa being sacked in February 2021 as the Whites were struggling in the Premier League, the replacement had a tough act to follow.
As we know, Jesse Marsch came in immediately through the door, but there were other options on the table, as Paulo Fonseca could have joined Leeds.
Along with these options was the Milan boss, as journalist Duncan Castles spoke on the Transfer Window Podcast in 2021 and claimed that Allegri was in the conversation for Bielsa’s successor.
“It doesn’t look like Allegri will be convinced in this case (of Leeds),” Castles said.
“The information I have from people close to him is that an approach was made. However, it didn’t particularly excite him.”
The Italian has of course had a great career and would have been the ideal name to replace Bielsa, which would have avoided Marsch’s disappointing spell.
Nevertheless, both the manager and the Whites are set to meet for the first time since this proposal, as Leeds and the Rossoneri have a history against one another.
Leeds United triumphed over AC Milan 25 years ago in the Champions League
Of course, there is probably a bit of sourness from Allegri’s words, so Saturday’s encounter could be a time for revenge.
But 25 years on, it’s Leeds who had the last laugh over Milan, as in the 2000/01 season, the Whites side managed by David O’Leary triumphed in the Champions League.
In September 2000, the Peacocks played out a 1-0 win against the Italian giants in the group stage, as Dida fumbled a hopeful 30-yard strike from Lee Bowyer.
Their second encounter wasn’t a win, but it keeps their unbeaten record against the Rossoneri to this day, as Dominic Matteo’s goal secured a 1-1 draw at the San Siro, which gifted them a place in the knockout stages, avoiding defeat against a side that included the likes of Paolo Maldini and Andriy Shevchenko.
Now, as the 25-year anniversary rolls around, the Whites are hoping to keep their unbeaten record alive as Leeds will want to get one over Allegri in the Aviva Stadium at 3pm.
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