MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 01:45:47| >> :120:6382:6382:
[monks data]
Leicester logo
Premier League | Gameweek 38
Jul 26, 2020 at 4pm UK
King Power Stadium
Manchester United logo

Leicester
0 - 2
Man Utd


Evans (68')
Evans (90+4')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Fernandes (71' pen.), Lingard (90+8')
Maguire (9'), Lindelof (63'), Matic (83'), Pogba (90'), Williams (90+2')

Preview: Leicester City vs. Manchester United - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Premier League clash between Leicester City and Manchester United, including team news and predicted lineups.

Leicester City and Manchester United will both be looking to secure top-four finishes in the Premier League table when the pair lock horns on Sunday afternoon for what is a huge contest at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes are currently fifth in the table, one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and third-placed United, meaning that the three sides are battling for two positions, with Chelsea hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers on the same afternoon.


Match preview

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Leicester City counterpart Brendan Rodgers watch on in September 2019© Reuters

Entering the lockdown period in March, Leicester were third in the table, five points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea and eight clear of fifth-placed United, meaning that they were in a brilliant position to claim a top-four spot and a return to the Champions League.

The Foxes have struggled since returning to the field last month, though, picking up just two wins from their eight league matches, suffering three defeats in the process, to drop outside of the Champions League positions.

Brendan Rodgers's side know that a win over United would guarantee a top-four finish, although a point could also be enough. Indeed, if Chelsea were to lose at home to Wolves then a draw would see Leicester claim fourth as they have a much better goal difference than Frank Lampard's team.

It is absolutely fascinating heading into the final afternoon, and the fact that United dropped points at home to West Ham United on Wednesday, coupled with Chelsea's loss at Liverpool, means that Leicester are still in the hunt despite their disappointing form since the restart.

The Foxes have been fairly strong at the King Power Stadium this season, winning 11 of their 18 league games and suffering just three defeats, while they have won three of their last four on home soil.

Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood celebrates scoring against West Ham United on July 22, 2020© Reuters

United moved from fifth to third on Wednesday despite the fact that they were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham at Old Trafford; it was a tough game for the Red Devils, who needed Mason Greenwood to come up with a second-half leveler following Michail Antonio's opener from the penalty spot.

The 20-time English champions have won five and drawn three of their eight Premier League games since the restart, placing themselves in an excellent position to secure a return to the Champions League.

As mentioned, a point would ensure that they finish inside the top four, although they could lose and still qualify for next season's Champions League if Chelsea fail to overcome sixth-placed Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

The recent draws with Southampton and West Ham, in addition to the 3-1 loss to Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, have been disappointing, but there is no question that the club would have taken this position when they returned to the field after the lockdown period.

Much of the club's summer activity, namely a potential move for Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, allegedly hinges on whether they can qualify for next season's Champions League, although they could still make it by winning the Europa League if they were to drop out of contention here.

Leicester Premier League form: LWDLWL

Man United Premier League form: WWWDWD
Man United form (all competitions): WWDWLD


Team News

Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw in action on July 13, 2020© Reuters

Leicester have no fresh injury concerns heading into Sunday's contest, but the Foxes are still without key players in the shape of James Maddison, Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira through injury.

Christian Fuchs and Daniel Amartey are also sidelined, while key centre-back Caglar Soyuncu is suspended, meaning that Wes Morgan will again play in a back three alongside Jonny Evans and Ryan Bennett.

Marc Albrighton is in contention to return, having missed the side's last two squads through injury, although Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez are again likely to support Jamie Vardy in the final third of the field.

Luke Thomas and James Justin, meanwhile, should feature in the two wing-back positions.

As for United, defensive pair Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones remain on the sidelines through injury, but Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly are both in contention to make their returns.

Shaw has been unavailable since picking up an ankle injury against Bournemouth on July 4, but the left-back is expected to be back in the starting XI for this match, replacing Brandon Williams.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was left out of the starting side against West Ham due to a knock but will return for this game, while Nemanja Matic should keep his spot alongside Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in midfield.

Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have all been in strong form since the restart, meanwhile, and will continue as the front three for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Leicester possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Bennett, Morgan, Evans; Thomas, Tielemans, Ndidi, Justin; Barnes, Vardy, Perez

Man United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Matic, Pogba; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Leicester 1-2 Man United

The fact that Leicester are missing some vital players through injury could really harm them as they battle to secure a top-four spot. United will be keen to bounce back from two disappointing results, and we fancy Solskjaer's side to make sure of third spot in the table with a narrow success.



ID:407802: cacheID:407802:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:12221:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester United win with a probability of 39.33%. A win for Leicester City had a probability of 35.02% and a draw had a probability of 25.6%.

The most likely scoreline for a Manchester United win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.57%) and 0-2 (6.51%). The likeliest Leicester City win was 1-0 (8.62%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.15%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 6.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Manchester United would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabhia, Claudio Ranieri and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabhia after Leicester City win the Premier League title in 2016.
Read Next:
Maddison, Chilwell set to miss Sheffield United clash
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!