Well, it had to end at some point: on Tuesday night at Old Trafford, United’s relentless eight-game winning streak ended in dramatic style.
A late comeback from two goals behind will have still given the frustrated Ole Gunnar Solskjær confidence in his team’s character, whereas Claude Puel has struggled to get a consistent tune out of his band of players consistently this campaign.
For the second time in three years to kick February off, the King Power Stadium hosts a battle of historic title winners in a repeat of the opening clash of the season.
Kick-off: 14:05 [GMT]
Venue: King Power Stadium
Referee: Mike Dean
UK television channel: Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League
Reverse fixture: Manchester United 2-1 Leicester City (Pogba, Shaw) (Vardy)
The Foxes
Position: 11th
Recent form: DLLLW
Top scorer: Jamie Vardy [7]
Most assists: James Maddison [4]
One to watch: Ricardo Pereira
Previous result: Liverpool 1-1 Leicester City
Talking points
Leicester secured the services on Belgian star Youri Tielemans from AS Monaco on loan until the end of the season, with fellow centre midfielder Adrien Silva moving in the opposite direction.
Coming from 1-0 down, the Foxes pulled off a shock result in midweek at Anfield – with Harry Maguire netting in cool fashion in front of The Kop to force another twist in the title race.
Injuries/suspensions (estimated return)
- Daniel Amarety – ankle (four weeks)
Expected lineup
(4-2-3-1) Schmeichel; Pereira, Evans, Maguire, Chilwell; Mendy, Ndidi; Albrighton, Maddison, Gray; Vardy.
Quote from the boss
“We played a good game against a big team. Good quality and togetherness. We need this against Manchester United.” – Claude Puel
Next match: Tottenham Hotspur [A] 10/2/19
The Red Devils
Talking points
A quiet transfer window for United slammed shut on Thursday night, as five youth players departed on loan on deadline day.
In amongst those moves, highly-rated U23 man Ro-Shaun Williams left United after spending 14 years at the club.
The big news on the day concerned Anthony Martial, as the Frenchman signed a new contract until 2024 – a strong endorsement of Solskjær’s leadership.
Following days of rumours, Marouane Fellaini departed after five-and-a-half turbulent years, as he moved onto Shandong Luneng.
After picking up a knock in the week, the man who started the comeback, Paul Pogba, is a slight doubt along with compatriot Martial, who missed the game. The talisman has hit six goals under Solskjær while assisting five.
Injuries/suspensions (estimated return)
- Anthony Martial – knock (late assessment)
- Paul Pogba – knock (late assessment)
- Marcos Rojo – knock (unknown)
Expected lineup
(4-2-3-1) De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelöf, Shaw; Herrera, Matić; Sánchez, Lingard, Martial; Rashford.
Quote from the boss
“They defend well so it’s hard to break them down and they’ve got pace and energy up front, so it’s going to be a tough challenge, but we like challenges.” – Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Next match: Fulham [A] 9/2/19
Potential key battles
– Jamie Vardy vs Victor Lindelöf
– James Maddison vs Ander Herrera
– Ricardo Pereira vs Paul Pogba
Match facts [credit: FotMob]
- Leicester have won only one of their 12 home Premier League matches against United, coming from two goals down to win 5-3 in September 2014
- United have won 16 of their last 20 matches against Leicester in all competitions (D3 L1)
- The Foxes have won more points from losing positions than any other top-flight side this season (13)
- The Red Devils are looking to win five consecutive away games in all competitions for the first time since October 2012 under Sir Alex Ferguson
Enjoy the match!