Jose Mourinho and Manchester will be hoping to continue their terrific form and make it three straight wins as they host Leicester City this Saturday.
“Woke up this morning feeling fine. Got Man Utd on my mind. Jose’s got us playing the way Utd should, Something tells me I’m into something good.” Well, why not? United fans have every reason to be optimistic ahead of the Leicester game.
After making a terrific start to the new campaign, in fact their best since 1907,United already look a potential title winner.
Having brushed aside West Ham and Swansea, there’s nothing stopping United from taking another 3 points to make it three out of three.
Coincidentally, United played their best attacking and free flowing football against the Foxes last season, where they beat the 2015-16 champions 4-1.
ALSO READ : Conte confident of signing Arsenal star
Mourinho will be hoping a repeat of the result when they host Leicester this weekend.
Everything is going United’s way at the moment, and if this team isn’t dangerous already, Zlatan has signed another contract that would extend his stay at United, and is expected to make a return in October. Scary!
Up against the table toppers is a Leicester team that’s just beginning to click as a team. Playing under Craig Shakespeare in his first full season, Leicester has made a decent start to the campaign.
Having narrowly lost 4-3 to Arsenal in the opening day fixture, where they led 3-1 at one stage, Leicester bounced back with a comfortable 2-0 win against Brighton, and the Foxes have also progressed to the third round of the EFL after overcoming Sheffield United with a comfortable 4-1 victory.
Leicester should provide United with a stern test and Shakespeare will be hoping to come away with at least a point from Old Trafford , that would definitely be a morale booster for the players. Difficult task, but not impossible.
Early Team News :
Manchester United :
What can you change about a team that has won two consecutive matches with a 4-0 scoreline? It’s highly unlikely that Mourinho will change his in-form starting XI , not when they are in terrific form.
Probably Mourinho’s only dilemma is to decide whether Martial earned himself a start for Saturday’s fixture. It’s not the case of Rashford under-performing, it’s just that Martial is an unstoppable force at the moment.
In just 25 minutes of game time , Martial has helped himself to 2 goals and an assist . Quite remarkable!
As of now, United have no new injuries. Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcus Rojo remain absent as they recover from long term injuries.
However, Shaw and Young played 60 minutes for the United Under-23s earlier this week and are edging ever so close to a return to first team squad.
Having signed a new contract with the Reds, Zlatan continues his rehabilitation with United and is expected to make a comeback as early as October.
Leicester City :
Robert Huth, Morgan, Drinkwater, Vincent Iborra and Kelechi Ileanacho were all ruled out of Leicester’s League Cup fixture against Sheffield United due to minor injuries.
While Huth is doubtful to make it to the starting XI, the Foxes are set to have Iborra, Ileanacho and Drinkwater back after their respective minor injuries, with Wes Morgan’s fitness status also unsure at the moment.
Having being forced off in the Brighton game due to an ankle problem, Jamie Vardy is also expected to start alongside Okazaki in a possible two striker formation against United. The rest of the squad is available at Leicester boss Craig Shakespeare’s disposal.
Predicted Line Up and formation:
Manchester United : David de Gea(GK), Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Daley Blind, Antonio Valencia, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Martial, Mkhitaryan, Lukaku.
Formation : 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1
Leicester City : Kasper Schmeichel(GK), Danny Simpson, Wes Morgan, Maguire, Christian Fuchs, Riyadh Mahrez, Wilfried Ndidi, Matty James, Marc Albrighton, Shinji Okazaki, Jamie Vardy
Formation : 4-4-2 wide
Head-to-Head :
The two teams had previously met 124 times prior to Saturday’s fixture. United has unsurprisingly emerged victorious on plenty of occasions, winning 63 of them .
Meanwhile, the Foxes have gained one over the club from Old Trafford on 33 occasions, while the remaining fixtures resulted in a draw.
Last meeting:
The last time the two clubs met was back in February, where United emerged victorious with a comfortable 3-0 victory against the then defending champions at the King Power Stadium.
Goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata ensured United got a league double over the foxes, as United ran riot in the home fixture with a 4-1 victory.
The match was also kind of a ‘Nail in the coffin’ fixture for Claudio Ranieri , who was sacked not too long after that.
Prediction:
Not surprisingly, United emerge as favourites yet again. After convincing back to back victories, United should be able to make it 3 out of 3 at home and maintain their perfect start to the campaign.
In spite of a comfortable victory against newly promoted Brighton, it’s difficult to see Foxes to come away with at least a point away from home, not with United in red hot form.
Betting odds (via bet365)
Man Utd : 3/10
Draw: 17/4
Leicester to win: 17/2
