After losing two league games in a row, Manchester United will be looking to get their campaign back on track when they welcome reigning Premier League champions Leicester City. The record league winners started their new season under Jose Mourinho with a bang but defeat against Manchester City and Watford exposed the weakness in their team.
They ended their recent slump in form with a victory against Northampton and will be looking to continue the winning momentum to ease the pressure on Mourinho.
On the other hand, Leicester City will be looking to exact revenge on United after Jose Mourinho’s side beat them in the Community Shield before the season. The defending champions have made a mixed start to the new season. After losing poorly to Liverpool they bounced back in style to thrash Burnley but a 4-2 defeat against Chelsea after taking a 2-0 lead in the EFL Cup would have done a lot of harm to their confidence. They will be looking to leave the setback behind and inflict another defeat on their fancied opponents.
Team news:
Manchester United:
Wayne Rooney’s inclusion in the team is a big talking point. The forward was severely criticised for is poor performances and his display in the EFL Cup where he missed a sitter has piled more pressure on him.
There are also some injury concerns for the Red Devils. They will assess the fitness of Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial, who were substituted with respective groin and head injuries against Watford last weekend. Their striker Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also a doubt for the match.
Predicted lineup:
David De Gea (GK), Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Daley Blind, Chris Smalling, Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Leicester City:
The Foxes will have to deal with injuries too. Their number one goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has overcome concussion but has a muscle strain which could see him sitting on the sidelines for this match. Midfielder Nampalys Mendy, who was signed from AS Monaco this summer, injured his ankle against Arsenal and is set to miss the clash. Defender Marcin Wasilewski will also miss the game after receiving a red card against Chelsea in the EFL Cup tie.
Predicted Lineup:
Peter Schmeichel (GK), Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs, Wes Morgan, Danny Simpson, Danny Drinkwater, Daniel Amartey, Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton, Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki
Key Stats:
- Manchester United have not lost to the Foxes in seven home league games.
- Jose Mourinho could suffer three consecutive league defeats for only the second time in his career. He had previously suffered it at Chelsea last year.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in six successive home league appearances, scoring 12 goals in the process.
- One more defeat will see Leicester City equalling the three Premier League defeats they suffered during last season.
- Jamie Vardy has scored in three of his four games against Manchester United in all competitions.
Betting Odds:
Manchester United win: 17/25
Draw: 31/10
Leicester City win: 22/5
Prediction:
1-1