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

It’s hard to imagine Leicester getting anything from this game given they’re entering the encounter amidst a three-match winless run, one of which was a 5-2 loss against this very opponent at this very venue. United have hardly been pulling up trees themselves, but the quality disparity is certainly in their favour.

Both teams to score has occurred in all of Manchester United’s last five and four of Leicester’s last five, so it’s fair to expect that theme to continue here, but the home side should certainly come out on top. Man United 3-1 Leicester.

Manchester United make their final preparations for the arrival of Ruben Amorim as they face Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend.

• Date: 10/11/2024
• Kick-off time: 14:00
• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United find themselves 13th in the Premier League with 12 points from ten games. Since Erik ten Hag’s departure, United have experienced a very mild uptick in performance levels under the interim management of Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the magnitude of the job at hand for the incoming Amorim is becoming increasingly clear.

The Red Devils’ performance levels have been exceptionally poor in the opening months of the season and there are huge concerns over the quality of the squad and the amount of surgery it might take to give Amorim the tools to be successful, and whether those in charge at the club are even capable of providing that.

It’s important to note, though, that injuries have been quite a limiting factor for United, with a number of high-quality players having missed the overwhelming majority of the campaign thus far. The likes of Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount becoming sustainably fit would be a huge boost for Amorim and the rest of the team, but regardless of the available personnel, it’s going to be tough to get United to the level they need to be at this season.

Despite the team’s struggles, there are one or two players who have given a very good account of themselves, notably goalkeeper Andre Onana and full-back Noussiar Mazraoui, both of whom have been impressive. Onana had an up-and-down campaign last season and came into this season with question marks over his head, but he’s shown great resilience to perform as consistently as he has done this season. Mazraoui, meanwhile, has very much hit the ground running after signing from Bayern Munich in the summer.

United’s ambitions for this season are still a top four berth and given how early it is, that’s still plenty realistic. They can’t, though, afford to keep losing ground on the rest of the competitors, so a win over Leicester this weekend is non-negotiable.

Leicester City are currently 15th in the Premier League with ten points. Despite coming into the season in tumultuous circumstances, the Foxes have had a reasonably strong start to the campaign. Under Steve Cooper, Leicester have been the best-performing of the newly promoted sides, giving the team hope that they can survive in the Premier League despite a poor summer in the transfer market and the departure of their manager.

The fans are far from wholly satisfied, though, with Cooper’s reign dividing opinion amongst the Leicester faithful, many of whom have reservations about the quality of the football on show at the King Power in addition to the trajectory of the team’s performances, which does appear to be a downwards one. Regardless, the quality of the squad is very limited, and there are doubts about whether it’s good enough to comfortably survive in the Premier League, so a 17th place finish come May would represent a successful season for Leicester.

Summer signing Jordan Ayew has proven to be a shrewd piece of business, with the former Crystal Palace forward providing a wealth of sorely-needed Premier League experience which has manifested in a couple of very late and decisive goals in recent weeks.

Equally, Jamie Vardy’s contributions have been excellent, with the now 37-year-old forward still showing flashes of the quality that allowed him to rise through the English football pyramid, even though a player of his archetype should be done and dusted at the top level at 37.

A point here would be a fantastic result for Leicester in their bid for survival, but the Foxes have already suffered a heavy defeat at Old Trafford this season and will find it tough to avoid another loss.

This game will not be televised live in the UK, but full radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio Leicester.

Man Utd Team News:

The Red Devils continue to be without the services of a number of big-name players as Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Tyrell Malacia all continue to miss out, while Kobbie Mainoo is a doubt despite edging closer to a return from a calf injury.

However, Mason Mount provided a big boost to Ruud van Nistelrooy by returning to the match day squad in midweek, with the midfielder returning from another spell on the sidelines.

Predicted lineup: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martínez, Dalot; Casemiro, Ugarte; Diallo, Fernandes, Rashford; Højlund.

Leicester Team News:

Leicester are doing very well on the injury front as they come into this game with only Hamza Choudhury, Patson Daka and Jakub Stolarczyk on the sidelines.

Jordan Ayew’s late goal last weekend should have secured him a place in the starting XI with Jamie Vardy likely to lead the line once again.

Predicted lineup: Hermansen; Pereira; Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Ndidi; Fatawu, Buonanotte, Ayew; Vardy.

Manchester United come into this game amidst a run of middling form, with the Red Devils having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five games. Most recently, United took on Greek champions PAOK in the Europa League, a game they won 2-0 thanks to a fine brace from youngster Amad Diallo.
Prior to that, United drew 1-1 with Chelsea in a game that was alarmingly low on quality, where Bruno Fernandes’ second half penalty was cancelled out by Moisés Caicedo.

That result followed a 5-2 hammering of this weekend’s opponents in the EFL Cup, which was preceded by a 2-1 loss away at West Ham United and a 1-1 draw with Fenerbahçe.

Leicester’s form is rocky on the whole, with Steve Cooper’s men having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five outings, the last three of which are winless. Last weekend, Leicester travelled to fellow newly-promoted outfit Ipswich Town, and despite performing poorly they emerged from the game with a point as Jordan Ayew produced a stoppage-time equaliser after Ipswich had been reduced to ten men in the 77th minute.

Before that, Leicester succumbed to successive losses, first at the hands of Nottingham Forest in a fairly resounding 1-3 loss, and second against Manchester United in the aforementioned 5-2 defeat.Those results were preceded by consecutive wins against Southampton (3-2) and Bournemouth (1-0).

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