Man United vs Leicester City: Match preview, what to expect, key players

Manchester United will continue the defence of the FA Cup when they host Leicester City at Old Trafford this evening.

United dug deep to beat Arsenal on penalties in the last round despite playing with 10 men for over an hour.

Leicester beat Queens Park Rangers 6-2 at the King Power Stadium to reach round four.

They have lost twice to United this season and will hope to avoid the same fate today.

Match preview

Since losing three consecutive games to the Foxes in 2021, United have yet to taste defeat against them. They have won four and drawn one of the last five meetings.

United have defeated the Midlands side twice at home this season but have never beaten the same opposition at home three times in a season, making this fixture tricky.

The Red Devils will be without Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans and Mason Mount this evening.

The Foxes have been boosted with the return of midfielder Wilfred Ndidi from injury, but forward Abdul Fatawu and Ricardo Pereira are ruled out.

Manager Ruud van Nistelrooy also revealed in his pre-match conference that a ‘couple of players’ will be assessed before the clash.

What to expect

The last three meetings between both teams have been high-scoring, with 13 goals scored. Today’s tie may be the same.

United have more quality than the Foxes and should dominate possession.

Leicester are not possession-oriented but can hurt United. They have scored more league goals from open play than the Red Devils this term.

Manager Ruben Amorim is expected to stick with his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, while Van Nistelrooy will use his favourite 4-2-3-1 set-up

Key players

Man United

Bruno Fernandes: Fernandes has bagged five goals and five assists in 10 games against the Foxes, making him one of the likely match-winners for this game.

Amad Diallo: The Ivorian has not registered a goal involvement since netting a hat-trick against Southampton but remains one of United’s best players.

Leicester City

Mads Hermansen: The young goalkeeper has been brilliant for the Foxes this season. His performance could prove decisive.

Bilal El Khannouss: The Moroccan has blossomed in the Foxes’ midfield. He scored against United in the Carabao Cup.

Stats from transfermarkt.com, bbc.com and 11v11.com.