Manchester United’s first match since the sacking of Erik ten Hag comes on Wednesday evening as they host Leicester City in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
The Red Devils finally dismissed the Dutch coach on Monday after a dismal start to the 2024/25 campaign and assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge on an interim basis. Man Utd have already identified their preferred successor to Ten Hag, with Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim top of their wishlist.
Last Sunday’s late and controversial 2-1 defeat to West Ham United was evidently the final straw, with Man Utd currently languishing in 14th place in the Premier League. However, the Carabao Cup has offered up some respite for the Old Trafford faithful with a 7-0 win over Barnsley in the previous round.
Leicester will be hoping there is no significant reaction from the Man Utd players after Ten Hag’s dismissal but the Foxes are likely to focus all their energy on the fight to stave off relegation this season as opposed to the domestic cup competitions.
Here is 90min’s guide to Man Utd vs Leicester.
Man Utd vs Leicester H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man Utd |
Leicester |
|---|---|
|
West Ham 2-1 Man Utd – 27/10/24 |
Leicester 1-3 Nottingham Forest – 25/10/24 |
|
Fenerbahce 1-1 Man Utd – 24/10/24 |
Southampton 2-3 Leicester – 19/10/24 |
|
Man Utd 2-1 Brentford – 19/10/24 |
Leicester 1-0 Bournemouth – 05/10/24 |
|
Aston Villa 0-0 Man Utd – 06/10/24 |
Arsenal 4-2 Leicester – 28/09/24 |
|
Porto 3-3 Man Utd – 03/10/24 |
Walsall 0-0 (0-3p) Leicester – 24/09/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports+ |
|
United States |
Paramount+, fuboTV, CBS Sports Network |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
Ten Hag frequently bemoaned Man Utd’s extensive injury list and Noussair Mazraoui added himself to it on Sunday after sustaining a knee issue against West Ham. It remains to be seen how severe the injury is for the Moroccan.
Elsewhere, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are all absent in defence, while Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo will miss out in midfield. Young Toby Collyer is also doubtful with a knock.
Antony is still unavailable after injuring himself against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, leaving Man Utd short of options across the pitch.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Leicester (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Lindelof, Martinez; Eriksen, Ugarte; Diallo, Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee.
Steve Cooper is likely to field a much-changed lineup at Old Trafford as he aims to rest players for more significant Premier League fixtures. For example, the Foxes face fellow newly-promoted side Ipswich Town at the weekend.
Patson Daka, Jannik Vestergaard, Hamza Choudhury and Jakub Stolarczyk are all sidelined with injuries and Victor Kristiansen is a doubt after missing the recent 3-1 East Midlands derby defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Summer signings Jordan Ayew, Bilal El Khannous and Odsonne Edouard could all come into the starting lineup, while there are likely to be alterations in the defence and midfield, too.
Leicester predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Ward; Pereira, Faes, Coady, Thomas; Ndidi, Skipp; Ayew, El Khannous, Decordova-Reid; Edouard.
It’s difficult to predict what we’re going to see from Man Utd on Wednesday evening as they line up for the first time without Ten Hag in the dugout since 2022. Injuries mean that Van Nistelrooy can’t tinker too much with the team that lost to West Ham, although there are likely to be a few changes.
Leicester were dire in their goalless draw with Walsall in the previous round and lack the squad depth to both compete in the cups and fight a relegation battle. They will rightly prioritise the latter, leaving them exposed to a fourth round exit at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Man Utd 2-0 Leicester
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