IT MAY now be almost meaningless, particularly for despondent Manchester, but the rivalry between these two Uniteds - The Wars of the Roses, the 1991-92 Championship race, the Eric Cantona affair et al - ensures that this will not be a heartless battle. Alex Ferguson's team will be hoping to gain revenge over the Yorkshire club, having lost to a David Wetherall header at Elland Road at the end of September. Since then United have slipped away from the top of the Premiership and Leeds have yo-yoed between a UEFA Cup place and mid-table obscurity. Right now, they know that a draw this afternoon will clinch them a top five finish and a return to Europe. But manager George Graham said: ''We've got to get rid of this belief in some quarters that if we beat Manchester United it makes our season. Some people were saying that when we beat them at Elland Road and that's a very naive view. ''The most important thing is that we remain up there with the big boys, whether it's Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or whoever. Ensuring we are competing with them is my priority, so going to Old Trafford should not be any more important than visiting the other big clubs. ''All I am bothered about is Leeds United, as we are looking for the points to make sure we qualify for Europe. That will be our sole aim when we go to Old Trafford. There will be no easing up from us. Graham saw off Manchester United's challenge when he was in charge of Arsenal, his Gunners team superior to Alex Ferguson's early outfits. But he is desperate to prove his managerial ability in Europe's top competitions and is dependant on a UEFA Cup campaign next term. Arsenal missed out on the European Cup in 1989-90 because of the Heysel ban and fell at the second hurdle in 1991. Having got it right to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994, Graham had to watch his team reach and lose the final the following year, having been sacked before the quarter-finals. United manager Ferguson also wants to end the season on a high note, despite watching Arsenal take away the title they had almost made their own. ''The last home game is always important and particularly so in this case because it is against one of our main rivals,'' he said. The fact that it is a local derby-type situation gives it even more edge. But I think our players are on song at the minute and can handle that.'' Ole Gunnar Solskjaer misses the match through suspension but Gary Neville returns after a virus. Ronny Johnsen is out as he recovers from his cartilage operation. Leeds will be without Robert Molenaar, who damaged knee ligaments in a midweek reserve match.

COLE v HASSELBAINK How The Strikers Match Up   HOW often do you hear a pundit say: You've got to hit the target from there ? As Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink shows, there's more to scoring than just getting the ball somewhere on that 8 yards by 8 foot space. Inside the box, Andy Cole is 5% more accurate than Hasselbaink. He has hit 55 shots to Jimmy's 43 - yet has scored two fewer goals. It's fascinating that the less accurate player is much more deadly. Andy has hit the target twice as often as Jimmy, yet his goals to shots ratio is almost half that of Jimmy's 22%. From outside the box, the Leeds man chances his arm more, yet in the danger area he is clearly more successful. What's going on? Is Cole concentrating on ‘just hitting the target', and finding the keeper? Or does Hasselbaink aim for the corners, miss completely more often yet put more of his on-target shots out of the keeper's reach? That seems the most likely explanation. Cole, with three league goals since the turn of the year, has seen his scoring dry up. And that has been Manchester United's big problem. Only Ryan Giggs has scored more times than him in the league since New Year's Day, and the Welshman has only scored four. United's 1998 has been a gigantic belly-flop. Hasselbaink, meanwhile, has found the net 10 times in 1998 in the league, 16 times this season and Leeds, who struggled to stay in the Premiership a year ago, are in Europe having achieved more than they would have hoped for in August. United have scored more goals, and have several talented scorers in their side yet the lack of a regular marksman has cost them dear in 1998. Alex Ferguson will surely try to address the problem this summer maybe by signing a less accurate striker… Opta Index close-up striking statistics based on all league matches this season. Cole Hasselbaink Minutes on pitch 2574 2448 Assists 4 6 Goal attempts inside box Goals inside box 10 12 Shots on target inside box 36 19 Shots off target inside box 29 24 Accuracy % 61% 56% Goal attempts outside box Goals outside box 4 4 Shots on target outside box 10 10 Shots off target outside box 13 23 Accuracy % 52% 38% Goals to shots ratio Inside box 13% 22% Outside box 15% 11% Overall 14% 17%

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