Man Utd v Leicester – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Man Utd host Leicester at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday. The hosts have just two recovery days since playing in Barcelona whilst the Foxes have had a recent improvement in results with seven points and three goals scored in their last three league fixtures.

Man Utd Form

Erik Ten Hag has quickly built a very consistent Man Utd side, who have lost just one of their last 18 matches in all competitions. They have won 12 of their 16 matches since the World Cup break, initially winning seven in a row. That included four league wins including 2-1 in the Manchester derby. A slight dip followed as a 1-0 after 90 minutes turned into a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace before a 2-2 at 90 minutes at Arsenal became a 3-2 loss, albeit a deserved one.

Three domestic cup wins (and a place in Carabao Cup final) came next, before a 2-1 home win against Crystal Palace and then a 2-2 home draw with Leeds, having trailed 2-0. Two late goals sealed a 2-0 win at Leeds in a second meeting a few days later. On Thursday, Man Utd played really well in a 2-2 draw at Barcelona, producing 1.13 xG more than their Spanish opponents.

Man Utd Team News

Erik Ten Hag has Marcel Sabitzer and Lisandro Martinez available again after European bans. Both should start this one, especially Sabitzer as Casemiro serves a suspension domestically. Christian Eriksen is injured and Scott McTominay is not yet fully fit.

Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford are two players who could be due rests, but options are limited in attack with Antony and Anthony Martial both expected to be absent once again. In midweek, Wout Weghorst played as a number ten with Rashford through the middle. If the latter is only on the bench, then Weghorst could lead the line and there may be a start for Alejandro Garnacho.

Man Utd Motivation

This match is sandwiched between two legs of the Europa League tie against Barcelona so at least one eye will be on the return leg.

Ten Hag’s side will play to win this match but you may see some key players being substituted early and a little less energy than usual.

Leicester Form

It has been a very strange season for Leicester, with long winless runs then strong periods of form and then a repeat of both. They went into the World Cup break on a run of five wins in eight matches to ease very real relegation fears. That included three successive away wins, at Wolves (4-0), Everton (2-0) and West Ham (2-0). However, they lost their first four league fixtures after the resumption with just one goal scored.

After a 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, they made some moves in the transfer window and improved form has followed. Then drew 2-2 at Brighton after conceding an 88^th minute equaliser. A 4-2 win at Aston Villa followed with four different goalscorers. Last time out, they won 4-1 at home to Tottenham from just 1.68 Expected Goals as they again had the goals spread across four players.

Leicester Team News

Ricardo Pereira made a return from injury in the last match but all of James Justin, Jonny Evans, and Ryan Bertrand are set to be absent in defence. January signings Victor Kristiansen and Harry Souttar are set to start in the back four once again.

Boubakary Soumare and Youri Tielemans should both return to the squad after knocks. They could join Wilfred Ndidi on the bench as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nampalys Mendy excelled in midfield vs Spurs. Kelechi Iheanacho has scored in his last three matches and will lead the line.

Leicester Motivation

The Foxes tend to see plenty of goals in their matches with 3.4 on average per game. They will look to play quite an open game and use the pace of Barnes and Tete down the flanks.

They will see a fatigued and slightly distracted United side as being beatable, especially without Casemiro. They will play for the win but could settle for a draw if they are under the cosh in the last 20 minutes.

Key Stats

Man Utd have lost once in 20 matches at Old Trafford (Premier League)

Man Utd’s last 10 home EPL matches have seen 8 wins and 2 draws

Man Utd’s Rashford has scored 9 goals in his last 11 EPL matches

Leicester have seen over 3.5 goals in their last 3 matches (average: 5 goals per match)

Leicester have won 4 of their last 6 away EPL matches, scoring 2+ goals on 4 occasions

Verdict

This should be a game full of goals. Take a look at Man Utd’s XI before kickoff to see if Ten Hag is resting anyone, especially star man Rashford. The hosts should have enough to win this game even if they concede a goal or two.

Best Bet: Man Utd win at 1.62

Alternative Bet: Over 3.5 goals at 2.40

Multiplier leg: Man Utd/draw double chance + over 2.5 goals at 1.95

Goalscorer Tips: Rashford first goalscorer at 4.00

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis