Manchester United will aim to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City when they welcome Leicester City to Old Trafford on Saturday.
Gameweek 24 of the 2022/23 Premier League season will culminate on Sunday, with only two games slated for the day. The action will begin at Old Trafford, where Manchester United will entertain Leicester City.
Manchester United might not have envisioned having an outside chance to win the Premier League title this season when Erik ten Hag took charge. Despite the Dutchman’s pedigree, the Red Devils’ off-field issues left many sceptical. But ten Hag has overseen a dramatic change in fortunes, with Manchester United only five points behind Arsenal and Manchester City on the table.
With Arsenal and Manchester City dropping points, Manchester United might be in the hunt for the title. The confidence is rising with each passing game, and the Red Devils recently delivered the goods by holding Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Europa League.
On the other hand, 2022/23 has been another frustrating season for Leicester City. The Foxes could not buy a win in the first few weeks of the campaign. But their form has improved, and they are currently on a four-game unbeaten run. And the latest success was a 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
The reverse fixture saw Manchester United eke out a 1-0 win over Leicester City, with Jadon Sancho scoring the match-winner. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
🚨 @LisandrMartinez and Marcel Sabitzer were on the agenda in Erik's team news update… #MUFC || #MUNLEI
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 17, 2023
Erik ten Hag does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Leicester City on Sunday, the Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players.
Casemiro is the most notable absentee, as he completes his suspension. In addition, Donny van de Beek (knee), Christian Eriksen (ankle), and Anthony Martial (hip) are on the sidelines. Antony (knock) and Scott McTominay face a race against time to regain their fitness.
But the duo will unlikely be fit enough to take on Leicester City this weekend. Meanwhile, Marcel Sabitzer and Lisandro Martinez are available after missing the midweek fixture against Barcelona. The two players should return to the starting eleven on Sunday.
Martinez will start at the heart of the defence, with Harry Maguire likely to replace Raphael Varane. The Frenchman should earn some rest ahead of the second leg against Barcelona. Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot will replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with Luke Shaw moving into the left-back berth. And there is no looking past David de Gea between the sticks.
Sabitzer will line up alongside Fred in the double pivot in the middle of the park. They will need to play out of their skins to keep James Maddison and Leicester City quiet on Sunday. Casemiro’s absence will also mean that Bruno Fernandes will often drop deep to help out defensively.
But the Portuguese international will have a free role, with Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Wout Weghorst joining him in a fluid offensive unit. Garnacho will have a golden opportunity to usurp Jadon Sancho, who has been unimpressive in the last two games.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Sabitzer, Fred; Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Weghorst
Leicester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Brendan Rodgers has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Leicester City manager will be without just three first-team players on Sunday.
Youri Tielemans and Boubakary Soumare have regained fitness and should return this weekend. That leaves only James Justin (Achilles), Jonny Evans (hamstring), and Ryan Bertrand (knee) on the sidelines for Leicester City.
"He's a top-class striker." 🌟
Brendan Rodgers toasts Kelechi Iheanacho's current form 📈 pic.twitter.com/tx23hVYelk
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 18, 2023
Harry Souttar will likely line up alongside Wout Faes in the central defensive partnership. Timothy Castagne and Victor Kristiansen should be the two full-backs. And Danny Ward will start behind the backline, with Leicester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him.
Youri Tielemans should return to the starting eleven straight away, with Nampalys Mendy likely dropping to the bench. The Belgian international will play a reserved role in the double pivot alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
James Maddison is the in-form player for Leicester City and will pull the strings in the final third. Tete, who has hit the ground running since joining the Foxes, and Harvey Barnes will flank the Englishman. And finally, Kelechi Iheanacho should spearhead the attack against Manchester United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho
Key Stats
- Manchester United won the reverse fixture 1-0 against Leicester City, ending a run of four Premier League games without a win against the Foxes (D2 L2). The Foxes have avoided defeat in their last two Premier League away games against Manchester United (W1 D1). They last had a longer league run without defeat at Old Trafford between August 1972 and April 1977 (W1 D3).
- Manchester United have scored at least once in each of their last 27 Premier League games against Leicester City. Only Manchester City (28 against Newcastle United) have had a longer scoring run against an opponent in the competition.
- Leicester City have won their last two Premier League games despite conceding first both times, beating Aston Villa 4-2 and Tottenham 4-1. There have been four previous occasions of a side winning three Premier League games in a row despite conceding first each time – Leeds United in November 1997, Manchester United in January 2003, Arsenal in March 2012 (4) and Liverpool in May 2022.
- Manchester United have scored a league-high eight Premier League goals via substitutes this season. Meanwhile, no side has conceded more goals to subs than Leicester City (7).
- Marcus Rashford has scored in his last six Premier League games at Old Trafford. Only two Manchester United players have scored in more consecutive home appearances in the competition – Wayne Rooney (8 between December 2009-March 2010) and Cristiano Ronaldo (10 between March-November 2008).
Player to Watch
James Maddison
Maddison has shouldered the creative and goalscoring responsibilities greatly for Leicester City this season. And he has had a hand in 21 goals in his last 19 Premier League starts, scoring 13 and assisting eight. However, he has faced Manchester United without ever scoring more often than any other opponent in the competition (eight games).
Nonetheless, Maddison will be the best bet for Leicester City to take something from the game on Sunday. And amid escalating interest in his services, the English international can help his case for the summer with a game-changing performance.
Prediction
Manchester United 3-1 Leicester City
Manchester United and Leicester City usually produce engrossing affairs when they clash. And the game on Sunday should not be any different. With the Red Devils playing a game every three days, fatigue might start becoming a factor in their games.
So Leicester City might pounce and score an early goal to take Manchester United by surprise. But the in-form Marcus Rashford will likely inspire a comeback. With Arsenal and Manchester City winning on Saturday, three points will be of utmost importance for the Red Devils to keep their faint title hopes alive. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Erik ten Hag’s charges.
