Manchester United vs Leicester – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

FA Cup holders Manchester United host Leicester City tonight in the fourth round of the competition.

The Red Devils dramatically knocked out Arsenal in the previous round after beating them in a penalty shootout.

New signing Patrick Dorgu is poised to make his United debut this evening. The highly-rated Danish wing-back joined the club from Lecce last week for around £25 million.

Lisandro Martinez won’t feature again this season after the club confirmed the Argentine suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Crystal Palace. Luke Shaw has sustained a slight setback in his recovery and has been ruled out for the foreseeable future.

Leicester booked their place in the fourth round with a thumping 6-2 victory over Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers.

Foxes manager Ruud van Nistelrooy makes his return to Old Trafford where he took temporary charge back in November following the dismissal of Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman revealed on Thursday that 15-year-old Jeremy Monga and 16-year-old Jake Evans will be a part of the squad. Wilfred Ndidi is also expected to travel after a positive week in training following a thigh issue.

Manchester United vs Leicester – Match preview and team news

Form

Manchester United: LWWWL

At the weekend, Crystal Palace inflicted United’s seventh home league defeat this campaign with a 2-0 win over the Red Devils.

A second-half brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta was enough to beat the Red Devils. The game also ended on a sour note as Lisandro Martinez was stretchered off with a serious injury.

Another loss leaves them in 13th position in the Premier League with Palace surpassing them with the victory.

Prior to that deflating result on Sunday, Ruben Amorim’s side had collected three wins in a row. The successes over Rangers, Fulham and FCSB proved to be a false dawn as optimism quickly came crashing down again on the weekend.

Amorim will be hopeful that his players can retain the FA Cup and in the process qualify for Europe, an outcome that doesn’t look likely through their league positioning.

Leicester: WLLWL

Leicester’s tumultuous campaign continued at the weekend as they shipped four goals at Everton.

Their afternoon got off to a torrid start when Abdoulaye Doucoure struck inside 11 seconds at Goodison Park. The Malian’s goal was the fourth fastest goal in Premier League history.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s outfit looked devoid of confidence and conceded further goals to Iliman Ndiaye and a brace from Beto.

That heavy loss leaves them in the relegation zone and are currently two points from safety.

The Foxes’ away win at Tottenham and their 6-2 demolition of Queens Park Rangers in the previous round of this competition are their only two wins from their last 11 matches.

Tonight’s trip to Manchester is already the third time Leicester have travelled to Old Trafford this campaign. In their previous two meetings at the Theatre of Dreams, United knocked them out of the Carabao Cup and put three past them in the Premier League.

Last Meeting: Manchester United 3-0 Leicester, Premier League, 10th November 2024

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim spell in charge of Manchester United concluded with a 3-0 win over Leicester.

Club captain Bruno Fernandes fired the hosts in front with a precise effort from range inside twenty minutes. Amad had skilfully found the Portuguese with a clever backheel before Fernandes unleashed a dipping shot into the bottom corner.

Leicester carved their opponents open shortly after but couldn’t make a rare opening count. A delicately floated ball from Facundo Buonanotte found the advanced Wilfred Ndidi but his attempt was tame.

The Red Devils doubled their advantage before the break courtesy of an unfortunate own goal by Victor Kristiansen. Fernandes connected with Noussair Mazraoui’s cross with his knee and the ball bounced off the Danish defender and past his fellow countryman Mads Hermansen.

Steve Cooper’s side had opportunities to halve the deficit. Jordan Ayew’s rasping hit rippled the side netting with Andre Onana scrambling.

In the closing stages, Alejandro Garnacho sealed the three points in stunning fashion. The influential Fernandes was at the heart of the move again as he teed up the Argentine. Garnacho steadied himself before bending an unstoppable strike into the top corner at the Stretford End.

The positive result meant Van Nistelrooy had guided Manchester United to a four-game unbeaten run under his brief reign. Just weeks later, he succeeded Cooper as Leicester manager.

Predicted Lineups

Manchester United: Bayindir; Mazraoui, Yoro, De Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu; Ugarte, Mainoo; Amad, Hojlund, Fernandes.

Leicester: Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Coady, Kristiansen; Skipp, Winks; Buonanotte, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Vardy.

Who is the referee?

Michael Salisbury will be the match official. Matthew Wilkes and Steven Meredith will assist him while Thomas Bramall will be the fourth official. VAR will not be in operation.

What TV channel is Manchester United vs Leicester on?

Manchester United vs Leicester will be available to watch on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off at Old Trafford will be at 20:00 GMT on Friday 7th February 2025.

Manchester United vs Leicester City Match Odds

Manchester United: 3/10

Draw: 9/2

Leicester: 15/2

Read – Amorim insists Man United must be ‘careful with transfers’

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