Manchester United vs Leicester City
The games keep coming for Manchester United. After drawing with Barcelona in an enthralling Europa League first-leg match last night, they only have 72 hours to recover for their match against Leicester City at Old Trafford.
Manchester United are in third place in the Premier League standings with 46 points, trailing by five points behind leaders Arsenal and Manchester City. And with 15 matchdays left, every game feels like a must-win for Erik ten Hag and co.
They’ll face a Leicester City squad that has improved over the past few weeks. Earlier this season, they were in the relegation scrap, but now they’re safe in 13th place with 24 points.
Read on below as SBOTOP brings you a preview of this match.
Talking Points
Manchester United have tired legs
Manchester United are probably looking ahead to the second leg of their Europa League tie against Barcelona after last night, but they must first focus on the task at hand in trying to beat Leicester City this weekend.
The Red Devils were dealt a bad hand against Barca since they were without several key players. But they still managed to secure a draw against the current La Liga leaders, a result that should give them some confidence next week.
Marcus Rashford was again on the scoresheet as he netted the equaliser after 52 minutes, and he had a hand in Jules Kounde’s own goal seven minutes later.
The Red Devils felt they should’ve had a penalty when they were up 2-1 when Rashford was brought down when he was charging towards goal, but the referees didn’t call it. Instead, they had to settle for a 2-2 draw when Raphinha struck in the 79th minute.
After playing last night, Casemiro is back on the sidelines to serve his domestic suspension. However, we will get to see Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer back in action against the Foxes.
Because Manchester United are simultaneously competing in four different tournaments, injuries are piling up. Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek are out for a few months, while Scott McTominay, Antony, and Anthony Martial all have knocks.
Erik ten Hag has the mammoth task of navigating through their relentless schedule, hoping to bring home at least one trophy at the end of this season.
Leicester City building momentum
The Foxes are back in business following their good Premier League 2023 results recently, and they’re aiming to finish strong this 2022-23 season.
After an up-and-down January, Leicester City started February on a high note with victories over Aston Villa and Tottenham, defeating them with an aggregate tally of 8-3.
Tete has been as good as advertised for the Foxes as he scored on his debut against the Villans, while James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho have been playing big for Brendan Rodgers.
Maddison and Iheanacho are two of the most dangerous Foxes that the Red Devils must contain this weekend. The two of them have accounted for 14 goals and nine assists so far this term.
History
Manchester United beat Leicester City in the reverse fixture with a score of 1-0 at the King Power Stadium, as Jadon Sancho netted after 23 minutes. That result ended a run of four Premier League matches without a win against the Foxes (D2, L2).
The Red Devils have scored in each of their last 27 league matches against the Foxes.
Leicester City are undefeated in their last two Premier League away matches at Old Trafford (W1, D1). They last had a longer unbeaten run against them between August 1972 and April 1977 (W1, D3).
In terms of form, Manchester United have the edge over Leicester City since they have lost just three of their last 21 league games after losing their final two matches of the 2021-22 season and the first two matches of this campaign.
Betting Tip
The Premier League 2023 odds favour Manchester United to claim three points, as they’re priced at 1.59, while Leicester City are installed at 5.00 to win, and a draw is at 4.10 in the 1X2 market.
The Foxes have had the Red Devils’ number in their most recent encounters, but the Red Devils are a much different animal right now under Erik ten Hag, as shown in where they currently stand in the English top-flight table.
Manchester United should have enough to beat Leicester City, but it might be a replay of their reverse fixture earlier this season. With that said, another bet to think about is going for Under 2.75 at 2.14.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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