Playing for 90
Fansided

Match Preview- Manchester United vs Leicester City

By Atharva Khadilkar

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Jesse Lingard of Manchester United celebrates after scoring his sides second goal with team mates during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on February 25, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Jesse Lingard of Manchester United celebrates after scoring his sides second goal with team mates during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on February 25, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Manchester United take on Leicester City in the first Premier League clash of the 2018/19 campaign. We preview the match in terms of various aspects.

Manchester United host Leicester City on Friday night in the Premier League’s curtain raising clash of the 2018/19 clash. The Red Devils have been extremely light in the transfer window. Yet, Mourinho will be looking to see his team collect three points in front of their own fans.

Claude Puel’s realistic aim will be to have Leicester finish in the top half of the Premier League this season. Ahmed Musa and Riyad Mahrez were the two stars who departed the club this summer while no major signing has been made.

History

Manchester United boast a great record against the Foxes in their own backyard. In the previous three seasons, Leicester have managed to just grab one point from their visits to the Old Trafford out of a possible 9. The most recent meeting was won 2-0 by Manchester United in 2017/18. In the campaign prior to that, United made complete mincemeat of their opponents by beating them 4-1. In the clash in 2015/16, the Red Devils claimed a point in a 1-1 draw to stop Leicester from winning the title at the Old Trafford.

Manchester United and Leicester City have not too long a history in the Premier League. The Red Devils and the Foxes have had just 24 meetings between them. Manchester United have the tie’s head to head record in their balance with 15 wins. Meanwhile, Leicester have just 2 wins to their name. The clash has ended in a draw on 7 occasions.

Team news

Jose Mourinho confirmed that as many as 10 players are likely to miss the Premier League opener. Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic are on the injury table, while Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo, Diogo Dalot and Sergio Romero are ruled out too. Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard return to training after extended leaves on Monday, which means that they are likely to be unfit for the match. Romelu Lukaku, Phil Jones and Marcus Rashford stand a big chance of featuring after returning to training earlier.

Leicester City have a fully fit squad. Jamie Vardy did reunite with the team early as did Harry Maguire and all the players who served their national teams. New signing from Dinamo Zagreb, Filip Benkovic, does not stand a chance to feature after having to still train with his new teammates. Claude Puel’s team is stronger as compared to Jose Mourinho’s and can strike a major surprise if Manchester United are not up to the task.

Next. Manchester United’s predicted line-up for Premier League opener. dark

Kick-off

The match kicks off at 8pm local time. Andre Marriner is the referee for this important Premier League clash. Jose Mourinho will be pissed at anything less than three points, but Claude Puel will be happy to return home with just one.

Home/Manchester United