Manchester United welcome Leicester to Old Trafford looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track after two straight defeats.
Having both competed in midweek EFL Cup competition, the sides will come into the match suffering different fortunes.
United will hope to continue their winning ways after accounting for League One side Northampton in a 3-1 victory away from home, thanks to goals from Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford.
Conversely, he Foxes need to bounce back after they were beaten 4-2 by Chelsea at the KP Stadium and knocked out in the third round of the competition.
Key Battle – United’s Defence vs Leicester’s Strikers
Last weekend United came up against a Watford attack of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo which constantly put the defence under pressure. The threat possessed by the two strikers was too much for the backline, who have now conceded five goals in their last two Premier League matches. This weekend’s opponents provides a whole new challenge after they found form in a 3-0 win against Burnley.
Summer signing Islam Slimani marked his debut with a double and will be full of confidence heading into the Old Trafford clash. If he can bring the same form as last weekend, he is sure to be more than a handful for the likes of Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling. Despite not having the same start as last season, Jamie Vardy possesses the talent to get in-behind the back four at any stage with his pace and fantastic finishing ability.
Team News
Jose Mourinho elected to make nine changes for his team’s trip to Northampton, and with so many first-team regulars rested there should be more heading into this match. Anthony Martial is in doubt after picking up a knock last weekend, as is Luke Shaw with rumours suggesting he played injured. Carrick and Herrera will be hoping their performances midweek will be enough to earn places in the starting lineup.
For the reigning champions, Shinji Okazaki is sure to come into manager Claudio Ranieri’s calculations after scoring a double against Chelseas. Injured duo Nampalys Mendy (ankle) and Kasper Schmeichel (concussion) are both expected to be fit for the clash, but whether they take their place in the starting XI remains to be seen.
Head-to-head
The pair have clashed on a total of 122 occasions, with United claiming 61 wins compared to Leicester’s 33 and 28 matches ending all-square.
Previous Meeting
Their last meeting was earlier this year in the Community Shield where the Red Devils came out with a 2-1 win through goals from Jesse Lingard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Vardy scored for the Foxes after picking up on an errant back-pass.
Prediction
Both of last season’s Premier League contests ended in 1-1 draws and this match should be another close affair. These are the types of games United need to be winning if they want to stay in the title race, but as always one can never discount the spirited Foxes, who have proven time and time again anything is possible.
Manchester United 1 Leicester City 1
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