Manchester United will aim to continue their recent winning ways as they travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City.
United head to the East Midlands with the confidence of two back to back wins, however their hosts, Leicester City, have only won once in the last four games with that victory coming via a penalty shootout in the EFL cup.
The two clubs have had very different transfer windows so far; with the Red Devils spending big to bolster the squad and to shape it into Erik ten Hag’s vision whilst the Foxes’ only big transfer of note so far has been the departure of their no.1 goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
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The difference in activity in the market could be a factor in the two teams form which UtdDistrict previews before the game on Thursday night.
Manchester United
Last four results: L, L, W, W
United started the season horribly with two unexpected and embarrassing defeats to Brighton and Brentford.
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Brighton rained on the parade of Ten Hag’s first competitive match in charge of United with the Seagulls leaving Manchester with their first ever win at Old Trafford by a 1-2 score line. Offensively, Manchester United offered nothing and this is highlighted by the fact that their goal was from Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister putting the ball in his own net.
Things went from bad to worse as Brentford bullied Ten Hag’s men as the Dutchman chose a small, technical lineup to try out play the Bees however Thomas Frank’s side were too physical and emphatically thrashed their visitors 4-0, leaving many United fans shell shocked.
If Brentford was a tactical mishap then the next fixture, against bitter rivals Liverpool, was the complete opposite as a perfect game plan was curated to exploit the oppositions weaknesses which led to a well-deserved 2-1 victory.
The stats would paint a completely different picture of the game against Jürgen Klopp's team However many would agree that United were the better team who ran their socks off for the three points.
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United's last game was a resilience 0-1 win away at Southampton with the goal coming from a stunning Bruno Fernandes volley. This continues to contribute to the stat that the Portuguese playmaker plays better without his fellow countrymen Cristiano Ronaldo who was on the bench for the majority of the game.
Casemiro made his debut in the final ten minutes and the Brazilian showed his quality as he helped United shutdown the game and keep a clean sheet.
Leicester City
Last five results: D, L, L, W, L
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Leicester City could consider themselves hard done by with a draw on the opening day of the Premier League as they looked to be cruising with a 2-0 lead before a resurgent Brentford came back into the game after being energised by substitutes including Josh Dasilva who curled in the equaliser in the 86th minute.
This frustrating draw was followed by a 4-2 defeat away at the Emirates where Brendan Rodgers’ men were ripped apart by Arsenal’s new striker Gabriel Jesús with the Brazilian getting two goals and assists.
Unfortunately for Leicester fans another loss came when they entertained Southampton. Initially starting the game well, James Maddison opened the scoring with a fantastic freekick that was whipped into the bottom corner. But a Che Adams double, with the second being an acrobatic volley, turned the match to the favour of the visitors and Leicester City left with zero points.
Leicester’s only win in the last five games has come in the EFL cup against League Two side Stockport County. Brendan Rodgers put out a very strong side which included the majority of the first team and the Premier League side dominated throughout.
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However 26 shots and 79% possession couldn't result in a goal leading the game to go to a penalty shootout where Leicester City were victorious.
Their final fixture, before they face United on Thursday, was away to Chelsea. Leicester once again were first to take the lead however, as seen in their previous games this season they were unable to hold onto the lead with Raheem Sterling scoring twice. Leicester's defence could get even worse as Wesley Fofana is looking set to make Stamford Bridge his permanent home which will be a massive blow for the Foxes back line.
Topics: Manchester United, Leicester City, Premier League