A victory on their Boxing Day league clash would take Manchester United to just two points adrift of arch-rivals Liverpool in the Premier League standings, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men would be hoping for a similar result when they visit the King Power Stadium on Saturday to square off against Leicester City.
With the second spot in the league table up for grabs, both teams would be gunning for their impressive first-team ranks to deliver a standout showing over the weekend as Brendan Rodger’s Foxes seek to continue upon their brilliant start to the 2020-21 campaign.
Leicester City have been incredible to watch this season as Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have all been superb in their individual displays to propel their team to great success.
A 2-0 victory for the Foxes in their last league outing against Jose Mourinho’s Spurs provided clear evidence of the talent in the King Power Stadium outfit, with Vardy’s return from injury meaning that Rodgers has his attacking talisman in red hot form ahead of the Red Devils making the trip to East Midlands on Saturday.
Solskjaer’s men have been upbeat in their own showings as well, as was witnessed in the 6-2 thrashing of arch-foes Leeds United in the derby game that took place last week and with the forward pairing of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial returning to prime form, Saturday’s showdown is billed to be a high octane display between two attack-minded sides.
United did step out on the pitch earlier this week as the Old Trafford giants handed a 2-0 upset to Everton in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, paving the way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to clinch his first trophy while occupying the manager’s hot seat of his old club.
A seven-game unbeaten run for the Red Devils does suggest that Solskjaer’s men will be favourites heading into Saturday’s match but high-flying Leicester City are expected to be thriving at their underdogs status to hand out a memorable win against their top-four rivals.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Saturday 26 December
Time: 3 PM GMT
Venue: King Power Stadium
RECENT FORM
Leicester City Form: W-W-W-L-W
Manchester United Form Guide: L-D-W-W-W
TEAM NEWS
A host of changes were evident in the United XI that defeated Everton in the mid-week EFL Cup tie as Solskjaer made as many as nine changes from the eleven that handed a drubbing to Leeds United last weekend.
Tonight's Man of the Match = @ECavaniOfficial 😍
🔴 #MUFC
🏆 #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/jDIZYUeawO— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 23, 2020
Edinson Cavani’s terrific run of form in front of the goal, which was subject to applaud from his boss Solskjaer in the gaffer’s post-match interview following the Everton game, could mean that the 34-year-old striker remains in contention to lead the attacking line for Manchester United come Saturday.
There are injury concerns over Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan-Bissaka after the 6-2 win over Leeds United and in light of the former’s rich vein of form in the centre of the park, the Red Devils fanbase would be praying for the Scott to feature against the Foxes.
KEY BATTLE
James Justin vs Bruno Fernandes
💬 "I want to finish this season with more goals and assists than games."
Practice makes perfect, @B_Fernandes8 🎯
🔴 #MUFC
🏆 #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/PeYU1VYX0K— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 23, 2020
Bruno Fernandes arguably remains Manchester United’s most influential presence on the pitch, with the Portugal international having created a cult around him on the back of his superb showings since signing for the Red Devils in January.
Going up against Leicester City full-back Justin on Saturday, Fernandes would have a difficult task on his hand to put his side in the driving seat as the former has been in flying form for Rodgers’ men in the four-man backline.
MATCH PREDICTION
Both teams come into Saturday’s mouth-watering clash in great form, and should we go by the recent performances, a high-scoring game is surely on the cards.
Leicester City’s backline has been exposed very often this season as opposed to their flawless attacking department and Solskjaer’s side would be on the hunt to take advantage of the same, a major reason behind us predicting Manchester United to come out on top quite narrowly with a 3-2 win.
