Game week 8: Leicester host United in a game of huge significance

Leicester need a win for the feel good factor, United need the win to prove they're truly in the title race, where will this swing? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Leicester vs Manchester United
King Power Stadium
3:00pm

There were strong news in the media over the past few days of Newcastle United’s interest in Leicester City’s manager Brenden Rodgers but the Welshman is probably holding out for the Manchester City job and will not be considering the St. James’s Park job.

That said, Manchester United are in town and they also have problems of their own; no one is trying to take Ole Gunnar Solksjaer from them but that isn’t the crux of their problems, United will be without summer signing Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire with both injured, now that’s a problem.

Leicester haven’t been at their best this season and they certainly wouldn’t be happy with a bottom ten position that they currently occupy, and if there’s ever a time they can punish United, this is it with the Red Devils.

Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes are the real source of goals in the Leicester team, while both can be better considering the real heights we know of them, they still stand up there among the league’s top performers this term.

Manchester United will probably not risk having Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench like they did last time out, their fans will not have it and should result go sideways, the manager will hear from them.

United lost the chance to be joint top with a draw against Everton; United actually dropped points from a winning position last time but everyone would still point to the absence of Ronaldo from the starting line up at Old Trafford.

There’s also champions league football in midweek for Manchester United, and having dropped maximum points at Young Boys, the visit of Atalanta will need full attention, one good news in that regard is the fact that Aaron Wan Bissaka will be available after having his red card rescinded.

How will United line up? They will not have Fred available for the match as well with covid rules keeping him out, Solksjaer will rely on Paul Pogba, who was part of the French side that triumphed last weekend in the UEFA Nation’s League and Scott McTominay who also bagged a precious goal for Scotland.

Leicester will be without the injured Wilfred Ndidi and that will mean the midfield will be loaded with deep lying playmakers to contain whatever the visitors throw at them. They will need to make a decision in defense too depending on the names available considering news around Caglar Soyuncu and Johnny Evans.

This is one fixture that divides statistics in recent games, of the last five between these two, either side won two apiece and there was a 2-2 draw on this ground in December of 2020 but to encourage the Foxes, they haven’t lost to United in any of their last three meetings.