The first game of the new season of the Premier League takes place on Friday. Manchester United takes on Leicester in a clash that will be played at the Old Trafford. If you’re planning to put some money on this match, make sure first to read this Manchester United vs Leicester City match preview!
Manchester United
Mourinho’s boys are the third-biggest favorites for winning the Premier League trophy this season (behind their city rivals and Liverpool). However, the fans of the Red Devils aren’t that confident their side deserves to be called a favorite. The reason is that, unlike many of their rivals, they had a pretty quiet transfer window.
In fact, the biggest signing they made this summer was Fred, a midfielder who’s not quite famous on the island, as he used to play in Ukraine. After spending five seasons playing for Shakhtar Donetsk, Fred moved to Manchester United for a fee of nearly 60 million Euro.
Pundits assume that the reason why Mourinho insisted on this transfer is that Fred (together with Matic) can provide a great support to Pogba in the midfield. With two strong defensive-minded players just behind him, Pogba will be able to be more creative and make more chances for Lukaku and other forwards.
It’s rumored that Man United will make at least one more signing before the end of the transfer window. It’s expected that they’ll get another defender, most likely Toby Alderweireld from Tottenham. However, even if he arrives this week, he probably won’t be in the squad for the match against Leicester City.
Leicester City
The Foxes have made some big changes in their squad this summer, the most important of which was the departure of Riyad Mahrez. He moved to the Premier League champions, Manchester City, for a fee of € 67.8M. In turn, Leicester City spent that money to bring in a few new players, including Ricardo Pereira and Jonny Evans, both of whom are defenders.
Actually, it’s not a big surprise that Leicester decided on strengthening their defense, as in the season 2017/2018, they allowed 60 goals in total. That made them the 5th-worst team in the league in terms of conceded goals.
But now, without Mahrez in the team, it seems that they’re gonna have problems scoring goals. Last season, for example, he scored 12 goals, which made him Leicester’s second most prolific scorer. On top of that, he also made 10 assists, which is more than any other Leicester player. All in all, there’s no doubt he’s gonna be missed.
Team News
Manchester United
- Sergio Romero (injury)
Leicester City
- Everyone’s fit for the game
Possible Lineups
Manchester United
De Gea – Lindelöf, Bailly, Valencia, Young – Fred, Matic, Pogba – Sanchez, Rashford, Lukaku
Leicester City
Schmeichel – Maguire, Ricardo Pereira, Simpson, Fuchs – Adrien Silva, Amartey, Gray, Iheanacho – Okazaki, Vardy
Manchester United vs Leicester City Match Prediction
First games of the season are usually very difficult to predict, as you don’t know what to expect from teams, especially if they’ve made some big changes in the squad during the summer. But, Manchester United haven’t changed their squad too dramatically. In fact, the Red Devils had no big-name departures during this transfer window, so it’s fair to expect them to continue where they left off three months ago.
They finished the season as the runner-ups, which is one of the reasons why they’re big favorites in my eyes to beat Leicester on Friday. Another reason is that the game is played at the Old Trafford where they always have massive support from the stands.
Manchester United vs Leicester City Betting Tips
- Manchester United @1.44 (bet365)