High-flying Manchester United face a Leicester City side with newfound hope after back-to-back impressive performances have lifted the Foxes up to 13th and six points above the relegation zone.

Brendan Rodgers’ side travels to the north-west off the back of an excellent 4-1 win over Champions League hopefuls Tottenham. Goals from an in-form Kelechi Iheanacho, James Maddison, Nampalys Mendy, and Harvey Barnes saw Leicester City pick up all three points, after going behind early on.

Foxes fans were beginning to forget what a home win felt like, with the win against Tottenham their first in the league since beating Leeds United in October.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Nampalys Mendy of Leicester City celebrates with teammate Kelechi Iheanacho after scoring the team's first goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at The King Power Stadium on February 11, 2023 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 11: Nampalys Mendy of Leicester City celebrates with teammate Kelechi Iheanacho after scoring the team's first goal during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at The King Power Stadium on February 11, 2023 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

However, Man United are also enjoying success of their own, after returning from a blockbuster European tie with runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona, which ended 2-2.

The Red Devils are entering an important phase of their season, with the second leg of the Europa League Play-Off round against Barcelona and a Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United to come in the next ten days.

However, while Man United are challenging in Europe and in domestic cup competitions, they are still only five points off the top of the Premier League, with Erik Ten Hag facing important decisions as to which competitions he prioritises.

Historically, Old Trafford was not a happy hunting ground for the Foxes before 2021, with only one win in 46 years. However, the tide has begun to turn on away days to Man United with Leicester picking up four points from their previous two visits to the Theatre of Dreams.

Team News

Manchester United

Ten Hag may look to rest a couple of players ahead of the crucial second leg with Barcelona next Thursday, but the Dutch manager is still without a number of key players.

Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay, and Antony were all absent from the trip to Spain and will be assessed ahead of Sunday’s fixture.

“Maybe. We have to wait until tomorrow. Maybe one or two players can return, yeah,” Ten Hag said.

Experienced midfielder Casemiro has been a revelation for Manchester United this season, with the Brazilian adding much-needed defensive quality to the midfield. However, Casemiro will be unavailable again, as he is serving the third and final game of his suspension.

Donny Van De Beek and Christian Eriksen are ruled out with long-term injuries.

Leicester City

Rodgers has been boosted by players returning from injuries in recent weeks, with Maddison, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Ricardo Pereira, and Wilfred Ndidi all returning from injury.

The Leicester manager again had more positive injury news, with Youri Tielemans recovering from a knock that ruled him out of the game against Tottenham, and Boubakary Soumare returning to the squad.

This means Rodgers is close to a fully fit squad for the first time in years, with only James Justin, Jonny Evans, and Ryan Bertrand ruled out.

Likely Line-ups

Manchester United

De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Malacia; Fred, Sabitzer; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Weghorst.

Leicester City

Ward; Castagne, Faes, Souttar, Kristiansen; Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison; Tetê, Iheanacho, Barnes.

Key Players

Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

Rashford is on fire right now, scoring eight goals in nine Premier League appearances since the World Cup, with the England international looking like he could score every time he goes forward.

Last weekend the forward overtook Man United legend Eric Cantona in the Premier League goalscoring charts, with Rashford now on 70 goals.

Fresh off the back of a goal and an assist against Barcelona, Rashford could cause Leicester City big problems.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City)

Iheanacho has had to be patient during his time in the East Midlands, having to play second fiddle to Leicester legend Jamie Vardy. But when called upon Iheanacho very rarely disappoints, and he is the man spearheading Leicester’s recent spell of good form.

The Nigerian has only played 433 minutes this season compared to Patson Daka’s 704, and Vardy’s 1,173. Despite this Iheanacho has more goal contributions than both of them, with three goals and four assists, with Daka on six goal contributions, and Vardy on five.

In the last two fixtures, the striker has created five of Leicester’s eight goals, scoring two and setting up three, highlighting that he is one of Leicester’s most important attacking players at the moment.

Match Details

Where will the match be played?

The match will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester.

What time is the match?

The match is at 2pm on Sunday, February 19, 2023.

How can you watch the match?

In the United Kingdom, the match will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage beginning at 1pm.

 

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