Hotels for Leeds United v Sunderland

This fixture carries the weight of Yorkshire and north-east rivalry, with travelling support making the trip in numbers and both sets of fans making themselves heard for the full ninety minutes. Given the fixture list and time of year, there's every chance points here matter well beyond the final whistle, with promotion, survival or pride all potentially on the line. Expect the usual matchday build-up around the ground for hours before the teams emerge.

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.