MX23RW : Monday, April 29 21:37:17| >> :120:16684:16684:

Preview: Manchester United vs. Leicester City

Sports Mole previews the Premier League clash between Man United and Leicester at Old Trafford as the Red Devils seek revenge for their September defeat to the Foxes.

A lot has happened since the last time that Manchester United and Leicester City met in the Premier League.

A famous 5-3 victory at the King Power Stadium in September, in which they twice came from behind, took the Foxes to seventh and left United languishing in 12th.

Ahead of the reverse fixture at Old Trafford on Saturday, Leicester are bottom of the table, and United fourth having found their feet under Louis van Gaal.

However, there was little evidence of their pre-Christmas improvement last weekend as the Red Devils were held to a 0-0 draw by Cambridge United in the FA Cup.

Van Gaal blamed everything from the pitch to the referee, the weather conditions to his horoscope for United's failure to beat their League Two opposition, whom they host in a fourth-round replay on Tuesday.

While the 11-time winners were being humbled at the Abbey Stadium, Leicester were making their way into the last 16 of the tournament by coming from behind to surprise Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Leonardo Ulloa and Jeffrey Schlupp scored in the final 10 minutes to secure Nigel Pearson's men passage to the next round, although their priority this season must remain trying to salvage top-flight survival.

A run of one defeat in four games either side of the New Year has pulled the East Midlands outfit to within three points of safety ahead of a trip to United which marks the beginning of a daunting set of fixtures.

City have to face Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City all during the next month, but the Foxes must retain their momentum and pick up points during that period if they are to have any hope of staying up.

Andrej Kramaric is expected to make his first start since his club-record arrival from Croatia, with Pearson perhaps switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation to accommodate a striker who had been firmly on Chelsea's radar.

Ben Hamer, Paul Konchesky and Esteban Cambiasso will return after being rested for cup duty, but Kasper Schmeichel and Matthew Upson are injured, while the banned Matty James and Riyad Mahrez are also unavailable.

Youngsters Adnan Januzaj and James Wilson are the most likely to be on the chopping block for United after failing to impress in the FA Cup, with Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie poised for recalls in attacking areas.

Juan Mata may have to settle for a place on the bench now that Angel di Maria and Marouane Fellaini are back to full fitness, but Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are still nursing injuries and are not in contention.

The Red Devils have won their last five home matches against Leicester without conceding a single goal.

Man United:

Form in Premier League: DWDDLW
Form in all competitions: DDWLWD

Possible starting lineup: De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Blind; Carrick, Fellaini, Di Maria, Rooney; Van Persie, Falcao

Leicester:

Form in Premier League: LLWDWL
Form in all competitions: WDWWLW

Possible starting lineup: Hamer; Simpson, Wasilewski, Morgan, Konchesky; Drinkwater, Cambiasso; Schlupp, Kramaric, Vardy; Ulloa

Sports Mole says: 3-0


ID:202186: cacheID:202186:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7285:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Leonardo Ulloa of Leicester City celebrates scoring the opening goal with team mates during the FA Cup Third Round match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on January 3, 2015
Read Next:
Preview: Leicester vs. Stoke
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!