Richard Sutcliffe: Fans are left fearing a revenge raid from Old Trafford

It continues: “We beat the team that we ******* hate, we knocked the Scum out of the FA Cup, we’re Super Leeds and we’re going up.”

The words may be a bit choice but this little ditty proved an instant hit, so much so it has been sung loud and proud at Elland Road ever since – including during last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Bristol City.

That is perhaps not a surprise considering the jubuilant scenes among the 9,000 Leeds fans at Old Trafford when Jermaine Beckford netted a goal that was destined to end a near 30-year wait for a victory at the home of their most bitter rivals.

Now, however, with the two Uniteds from either side of the Pennines about to do battle once again, the fear among some Elland Road loyalists is that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side could be about to exact revenge.

It is why the Carling Cup third round draw was not greeted with the universal acclaim among Leeds fans that might have been expected, many feeling it would have been preferable to bask in the glow of Beckford’s winner for at least a couple more years before doing battle with an old foe again.

Losing tonight – especially if, as seems certain, Ferguson puts out a second XI – would inevitably take some of the shine off the events of January 3, 2010.

The chances of the Championship side being beaten are, of course, relatively high – not least because Manchester United will still be smarting from that Cup loss.

Make no mistake, losing at home to Leeds hurt at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney making no bones about this during an interview ahead of last year 2010 World Cup when he told the media: “Being knocked out of the FA Cup by Leeds was the low point of the season.”

Coming at the end of a campaign when the Red Devils had lost the Premier League title to Chelsea and suffered Champions League heartache against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, Rooney’s words spoke volumes.

The England striker is, of course, unlikely to be in action tonight with Ferguson expected to ring the changes due to the tie coming just 52 hours after the final whistle blew at the end of Sunday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea. Few of the starting XI against the Blues are likely to play.

That means no Ashley Young, Nani, Javier Hernandez and David de Gea. Instead, a visiting team similar in make-up to the one that drew 1-1 against Benfica on the opening round of Champions League action last week is likely to be stepping into the Elland Road cauldron.

Just for the record, that XI read: Lindegaard; Fabio, Smalling, Evans, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs; Valencia, Rooney, Park.

Possible changes to the team that faced Benfica do, though, include a front pairing Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen, a strike force that most Premier League managers would gladly select. Also likely to play is the highly promising Paul Pogba, so impressive against Sheffield United in last May’s FA Youth Cup final, with the midfielder’s loan move to Burnley having been delayed so he can face Leeds.

It all adds up to an enviable task for Simon Grayson’s men, though one that they will definitely relish – especially as, of the 14 players involved in the FA Cup win of 2010, five are still at the club.

Jonny Howson, Luciano Becchio, Robert Snodgrass, Paddy Kisnorbo and Aidy White will, therefore, go into tonight’s tie knowing that the seemingly impossible is possible.

For the rest, though, this will be a new experience and the key could be as much about handling the expectation of the home crowd as the experience of the visiting players.

Whether they can do that and find a way of stopping a rampant Red Devils side will determine whether come Friday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion a new verse has been added to the ‘January Third, remember the day’ ditty.

Regardless of that, however, one thing that can be guaranteed tonight is that the atmosphere is likely to be as raucous and fevered as it has been at Elland Road for some time. The visit of Manchester United does that.