Five things to watch out for when Manchester United take on Leicester City, time for makeshift defence to end curse

Manchester United are back in Premier League action when they travel to Leicester City on Sunday night.

The Premier League table is not a pretty sight for both teams as Manchester United sit 14th in the table, while Leicester City need to try and find a way out of the relegation zone to keep their top-flight status.

United beat Real Sociedad 4-1 to progress into the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday night, with Bruno Fernandes’ hat-trick inspiring a 4-1 win over the Spanish side.

Leicester, managed by United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, go into the game on a five-match losing run following a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend.

Without further ado, here are five things to watch out for when United travel to the King Power Stadium.

Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Manchester United need to end clean sheet curse

Leicester City have lost each of their last five matches in the Premier League without scoring a single goal, so Van Nistelrooy has been struggling to get his side firing in front of goal.

That gives United a fantastic opportunity to end their miserable run of 9 matches without a clean sheet.

If Andre Onana concedes again on Sunday, the run stretches to 10 matches. That doesn’t look good for United’s defensive department, which has been dealing with several injuries in recent weeks.

Furthermore, United have kept one clean sheet from their three meetings with Leicester this season.

Manchester United missing key personnel in defence

The Reds will be without several defenders for their trip to the King Power Stadium.

Leny Yoro is missing after sustaining a knock against Arsenal and Harry Maguire has been ruled out for the foreseeable future with no specific return date.

With Patrick Dorgu suspended, Ayden Heaven may in line for a consecutive start alongside Matthijs de Ligt.

Lisandro Martinez has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Eagerly awaited return of Mason Mount

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim confirmed that Mason Mount will be fit enough to feature from the bench on Sunday night.

The England international has not made an appearance for United since the derby win over Manchester City in December.

Amorim spoke highly of his midfielder and will be keen to give Mount minutes over the coming weeks.

Mount has played against Leicester eight times throughout his career, contributing a tally of three goals.

A fixture becoming second nature to Ruud van Nistelrooy

It will be Van Nistelrooy’s fourth time in the dugout in this fixture this season, having been in interim charge of the Reds for both Carabao Cup and FA Cup meetings.

United will be looking for their fourth win over the Foxes this season.

Amorim’s side missed the chance to record back-to-back Premier League wins last week for the first time this season when they were held to a draw by title contenders Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Manchester United can add to Leicester City relegation fears

Leicester City’s losing streak has been running for five matches following their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea last week.

The hosts last won at the King Power Stadium in Van Nistelrooy’s first game at their stadium in December, which means they’ve since gone on to lose six matches in front of their own fans.

United will aim to add to Leicester’s relegation fears even if though it will put Van Nistelrooy in a worse situation.

Position Team Played MP Won W Drawn D Lost L For GF Against GA Diff GD Points Pts
9 B’mouthBournemouth 28 12 8 8 47 34 13 44
10 FulhamFulham 28 11 9 8 41 38 3 42
11 Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace 28 10 9 9 36 33 3 39
12 BrentfordBrentford 28 11 5 12 48 44 4 38
13 TottenhamTottenham 28 10 4 14 55 41 14 34
14 Man UtdManchester United 28 9 7 12 34 40 -6 34
15 EvertonEverton 28 7 12 9 31 35 -4 33
16 West HamWest Ham 28 9 6 13 32 48 -16 33
17 WolvesWolves 28 6 5 17 38 57 -19 23
18 IpswichIpswich 28 3 8 17 26 58 -32 17
19 LeicesterLeicester 28 4 5 19 25 62 -37 17

It bodes well that United have lost just one of their past eight league away matches against Leicester, losing 4-2 in October 2021.



from United In Focus https://www.unitedinfocus.com/match-coverage/five-things-to-watch-out-for-when-manchester-united-take-on-leicester-city-time-for-makeshift-defence-to-end-curse/

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post