Down The Wings

Manchester United Fan Blog

FA Cup Preview: Leicester City vs Manchester United

Leicester City vs Manchester United | FA Cup Quarter Final | King Power Stadium | KO: 17:00 GMT | BBC 1

Manchester United, with Paul Pogba to thank, beat AC Milan 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) on Thursday evening, securing their place in the UEFA Europa League quarter final, where they will face Spanish side Granada.

They now turn their attention to another cup competition, where they face Leicester City in the FA Cup on Sunday, knowing a win will send them to yet another semi-final, and to Wembley.

With United sitting second in the Premier League and Leicester being third, the clash at the King Power will undoubtedly be a tight, tense affair.

How do Manchester United Look?

The Reds appear to be past their midfield injury crisis, with Paul Pogba and Donny Van de Beek returning to the squad to face Milan in midweek, although the Frenchman may not be ready yet to play the full 90.

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Speaking about Pogba, his fitness and his performance on Thursday, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, “I’m not sure if he can play 90 minutes or if he can start, but you see the impact he can make if he comes on as a sub”.

“If he feels okay, maybe we can start him as well. We have to see who the runners and riders are after tonight. It’s a long travel, we’ll be late back, so we’ll see. I hope he’s ready to start”.

Marcus Rashford was replaced by Pogba at half-time in the San Siro, and it is unclear whether he will make it for the Leicester clash, whilst Juan Mata and Phil Jones will definitely be out.

Neither Anthony Martial nor Edinson Cavani were fit to play against AC Milan, but Solskjaer is hopeful that at least one of them will make it to the King Power.

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On Cavani, the boss said “it’s down to him. He wants to be 100 per cent when he joins in. He doesn’t want to come in and look off the pace, so hopefully he can be ready for Sunday but I’m not sure either”.

 On Martial, he simply said “I just want Anthony fit”, giving no indication as to whether he will make the squad.

Opposition: Leicester City

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Leicester City, who are now considered by most as one of the Premier League ‘top 6’, are enjoying another season of competing at the top of the table.

Boss Brendan Rogers has managed to create a team with great cohesion that fancy their chances against any opposition.

Similarly to United, a first trophy under their manager is a necessity to take them to the next level, and an FA Cup presents itself as a great opportunity for both.

Fullback Ricardo Pereira will be out for the clash, but the rest of the squad should be available for selection.

Key Stats

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The Reds are unbeaten in 13 matches against The Foxes and have lost just twice against the hosts in the last 29 games, a run going back to 1996.

Prediction

Leicester City 0-1 Manchester United.

Match Preview Writer

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