Hotels for Leeds United v Ipswich Town

A Saturday afternoon fixture in the heart of the Championship season, with kick-off timed for the traditional 3pm slot. Away fans travel in good numbers for this one, and the atmosphere builds through the concourses in the hour beforehand. Expect a full programme of pre-match build-up, half-time entertainment and the usual terrace noise once the whistle goes. December fixtures like this often carry extra weight in the promotion picture, with both sides watching the table closely.

Leeds United were formed in 1919, after the Football League forcibly disbanded their predecessor, Leeds City, over allegations of illegal wartime payments to players. Originally known as the Peacocks, after the old name for the Elland Road ground, the club became the Whites once Don Revie introduced an all-white kit in 1961 in deliberate imitation of Real Madrid.

Revie's side went on to dominate English football through the 1960s and early 1970s, winning two league titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, and reaching the 1975 European Cup final. That era still defines Elland Road's sense of itself as a sleeping giant of the English game.

Leeds United's fervent home, Elland Road sits southwest of the city centre in the Beeston area, an atmospheric and historic ground that roars on a big matchday. The immediate surroundings are workaday, but the vibrant Leeds city centre, with its bars, arcades and restaurants, is a short bus or taxi ride away.

Regular matchday buses run from the centre and station. Staying in town keeps the nightlife and rail links close while leaving an easy run out to the ground for kick-off.