Manchester United vs. Leicester City: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Manchester United are in poor form here but it's still tough to see them losing this one. They only competitive games they've lost at Old Trafford since February have been against Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham, so they should have enough to scrape past a Leicester side that needed penalties to get past Walsall away from home in the last round.

Both teams to score has occurred in four of United's last five and three of Leicester's last four, so that's a trend we expect to see continue here.

Ultimately, we don't think it's going to be pretty, but we fancy the Red Devils to win here, by hook or by crook. Manchester United 2-1 Leicester.

This Wednesday, Manchester United will face off against Leicester City in the League Cup’s Round of 16, with both clubs aiming to take a significant step forward in what has been a challenging season.

• Date: 30/10/2024
• Kick-off time: 19:45
• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United’s season has been a wholesale disappointment, with the team essentially continuing where they left off at the end of the last league season, and while there have been flashes of quality, fundamental issues in defence, midfield cohesion, and finishing have hindered any consistent momentum.

The current squad has struggled with repeated errors, and there is very little in the team's play to suggest that there's a reasonable chance of the issues improving in the near, or even the distant, future. Despite the sporadic pieces of individual quality, the collective output has been underwhelming, resulting in Erik ten Hag's dismissal as manager, meaning that club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of this match on an Interim basis.

Ten Hag’s tenure was marked by a mixture of highs and lows, with his initial success in his debut season, which saw United lift the League Cup, having unfortunately turned out to be the peak of his tenure. Last season’s performance in the same competition was a stark contrast: United were eliminated at this stage in a comprehensive 0-3 defeat to Newcastle. This season, the team’s struggles have led to growing frustration among the fans and intensified scrutiny from the board - United look set to appoint Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim as the Dutchman's replacement.

For Van Nistelrooy, this clash with Leicester offers a chance to secure a result that could momentarily ease the pressure on the club as a whole. Even if United win, the pressure for results will remain intense due to their poor starts in both the Premier League and Europa League. However, there could be a positive feeling coming back to Old Trafford, with the potential of a new manager and fresh ideas.

In contrast to Manchester United’s challenges, Leicester City have enjoyed a relatively decent start to life back in the Premier League. Promoted from the Championship last season, the Foxes have already shown a level of competitiveness that has surpassed what many predicted. While they remain in 15th place with nine points from nine matches, they’ve displayed enough grit and structure under manager Steve Cooper to suggest they’ll give themselves a fighting chance of staying up this season, something that was majorly in doubt prior to the season starting.

For Steve Cooper and his team, Wednesday’s League Cup clash is not necessarily a high-priority fixture as Leicester are more invested in securing their position in the top flight rather than advancing in cup competitions, which is understandable for a newly promoted club. However, Leicester’s record in the League Cup is excellent, as prior to last season, where they were knocked out by Liverpool in the third round, the Foxes had made it to at least the quarter-finals in five of the six previous seasons.

For Cooper, this fixture presents a balancing act. Leicester’s recent Premier League form has been reasonably promising, showing the potential to form into a cohesive unit despite a modest squad depth compared to many other Premier League sides. Cooper will need to weigh the benefits of a potential cup run against the risk of overextending his squad, given the ongoing demands of the league campaign. It’s likely he may opt for some rotation to ensure key players remain fresh, although his side will still look to compete and test United, particularly given their opponent’s vulnerabilities this season.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on Sky Sports +.

Manchester United Team News:

Ruud van Nistelrooy will be unable to call upon the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Tyrell Malacia.

Changes will be made from the weekend's game in London, with the likes of Adam Diallo, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte all likely to come into the side.

Predicted lineup: Bayindir; Dalot, De Ligt, Evans, Mazraoui; Casemiro, Ugarte; Diallo, Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee.

Leicester City Team News:

The Foxes will be without Patson Daka, Hamza Choudhury, Jannik Vestergaard and Jakub Stolarczyk.

Changes will likely be made by Steve Cooper, but they aren't likely to be wholesale, with a good performance a necessity for the Midlands club.

Predicted lineup: Hermansen; Pereira, Okoli, Coady, Justin; Ndidi, Skipp; Fatawu, El Khannouss; Ayew; Édouard.

Manchester United are coming into this game with only one win from their last five games. Most recently, the Red Devils fell to a very damning defeat away at West Ham United, where despite missing a host of chances in the first half, they fell behind in the 74th minute to a goal from Crysencio Summerville. Casemiro equalised for United in the 81st minute, but West Ham were awarded a very dubious penalty in the 92nd minute that Jarrod Bowen duly converted, resulting in the dismissal of Erik ten Hag as manager of the Old Trafford club.

That game came after a 1-1 draw with Fenerbahçe in the Europa League, where United delivered another drab performance and arguably should've lost, despite taking the league through Christian Eriksen early in the first half.

Before that, United recorded a 2-1 win over Brentford, a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa and a 3-3 draw with Porto.

Leicester are entering this one fresh off the back of a 1-3 loss to Nottingham Forest. The visitors took the lead through a fine goal from distance in the 16th minute, but less than ten minutes later the Foxes were level through a goal from Jamie Vardy. However, a Chris Wood brace in the second half clinched a deserved win for Forest.

Leicester were on a good run before that defeat having beaten Southampton 3-2 last weekend, a game that saw Steve Cooper's side come back from 2-0 down to dramatically win the game, with the goals coming from Facundo Buonanotte, Jamie Vardy and Jordan Ayew, the latter of which came in the 98th minute.

Prior to that, Leicester beat Bournemouth 1-0, Arsenal 4-2 and Walsall on penalties following a 0-0 draw.

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