Preview: Leicester City v Manchester United
Manchester United hope to put the Carabao Cup disappointment in the past on Saturday evening for the trip to the King Power Stadium in the final match before Christmas.
Setting the scene... With the busy festive period in full swing, the games are coming thick and fast for Jose Mourinho's men, who face a third successive away match in the space of six days and a quick return to the Midlands after last Sunday’s 2-1 win at West Brom.
How can I watch it? The game kicks off at 19:45 GMT and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers to MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club's MUTV app or online at MUTV.com will be able to watch the build-up from 17:45 GMT on the Match Day show and listen to radio commentary of the game before watching it in full on Sunday at 18:00 GMT. You can also keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com’s live match blog and by following our official Twitter account @ManUtd.
Any team news? The Reds will be without Eric Bailly who is set to miss the next two or three months to undergo surgery on his injured ankle, while captain Michael Carrick and fellow midfielder Marouane Fellaini have been absent for a while. Jose Mourinho made 10 changes for Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at Bristol City and many of the players who featured against West Brom are likely to be restored. The boss may give a further update on his squad in Friday’s pre-match press conference. Meanwhile, Leicester are again expected to be without experienced defender Robert Huth with a foot injury and former Reds midfielder Matty James with an Achilles problem.
What happened earlier in the season? Well, the Reds ran out 2-0 winners when the sides met at Old Trafford thanks to second-half strikes from substitutes Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini. It could have been more for United but Fellaini’s Belgian compatriot Romelu Lukaku saw a penalty saved by Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel – son of United legend Peter. The victory ensured the Reds continued our impressive start to the campaign by making it three wins from as many league games in August.
How are Leicester doing? The Foxes have enjoyed an upturn in form since Claude Puel was appointed as Craig Shakespeare’s replacement on 25 October. Saturday’s game will be the Frenchman’s 11th match in all competitions at the helm, with the club winning five of the previous 10, drawing two and losing the other three – including Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester City on penalties following a 1-1 draw as Jamie Vardy’s injury-time spotkick cancelled out Bernardo Silva’s earlier effort. Leicester enter the weekend sat in eighth place with 26 points from 18 league games, five points behind Tottenham in seventh, and had won four matches in a row before last weekend’s surprise 3-0 defeat at home to relegation-threatened Crystal Palace.
What's our record like against them? The Reds have a solid overall record against the Foxes, winning 64 of the 125 previous meetings in all competitions. United have lost just two of the 23 Premier League encounters between the sides – winning 15 and drawing six. We have won all four previous clashes with Leicester under Jose Mourinho, including a commanding 3-0 victory at The King Power Stadium back in February thanks to goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Who is the ref? Jon Moss will take charge of his fourth United game of the season after handling our 4-0 success at Swansea in August, October’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham and last month’s 4-2 win at Watford. The West Yorkshire whistler will oversee his 14th Premier League game of the campaign and will be assisted by Eddie Smart and Andy Halliday, while the fourth official will be Roger East.
We have won all four previous clashes with Leicester under Jose Mourinho, including a commanding 3-0 victory at The King Power Stadium back in February.
Friday 22 December
Arsenal v Liverpool (19:45 GMT)
Saturday 23 December (15:00 GMT unless stated)
Everton v Chelsea (12:30 GMT)
Brighton v Watford
Manchester City v Bournemouth
Southampton v Huddersfield Town
Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion
Swansea City v Crystal Palace
West Ham United v Newcastle United
Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur (17:30 GMT)
Leicester City v Manchester United (19:45 GMT)