Manchester United vs Leicester City

Old Trafford forms the backdrop for a handsomely-looking English League Cup tie between Manchester United and Leicester City.

A disheartening 2-1 defeat at West Ham last weekend put the final nail in Erik ten Hag’s coffin as a Manchester United manager, with the club sacking the underachieving Dutchman shortly after suffering their fourth loss in nine Premier League games this season (W3, D2). Interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has a challenging task ahead, bidding to defy United’s dreadful run of just one win from their last eight competitive matches (D5, L2) on his touchline debut. Leicester’s visit to Old Trafford bodes well, considering the Red Devils have registered nine victories in 12 home encounters against the Foxes in the 21st century (D2, L1), including a 3-0 thumping in their most recent H2H on this ground in February 2023.

Visiting Leicester City will seek comfort in the fact none of those meetings came in the EFL Cup, where they thrashed lower-league Tranmere 4-0 in the opening round before needing penalties to beat Walsall last time out (0-0). Steven Cooper’s men have since blown hot and cold across their four Premier League outings (W2, L2), three of which produced over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring, including a disappointing 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend. But Leicester’s underwhelming away form paints a bleak picture, with the Foxes picking up just one win in regulation time across five competitive travels this season (D2, L2).