For the first time since the sacking of Erik ten Hag, Manchester United will take to the field as they welcome Leicester City to Old Trafford for an EFL Cup fourth-round clash on Wednesday night.
The Red Devils are looking to build some momentum following a loss at West Ham United on Sunday, whilst the Foxes will be ready for much-needed respite from a relegation fight in the Premier League.
Match preview
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After over two years in charge at the Theatre of Dreams, Ten Hag's era as manager of Manchester United has come to an end, with the Dutchman's time on the red side of the city characterised by domestic cup joy intertwined with serious struggles on the Premier League and continental stage.
Suffering their worst-ever Premier League campaign during 2023-24, finishing well off the title-chasing pace in eighth - the Red Devils have significantly stuttered during the opening months of the current season, winning just three of their first nine matches at English football's top table.
Man United wielded the managerial axe on the 54-year-old the morning after another sobering defeat on the road on Sunday afternoon, when goals from West Ham's summer signing Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen were enough to condemn the visitors from Manchester to a narrow loss at the London Stadium.
Enjoying just the single win during their last eight matches across the Premier League and Europa League, a Ten Hag team that was backed handsomely in the summer with a glut of new arrivals has arguably failed to showcase a clear identity, leaving the club's hierarchy no choice but to pursue coaching change.
Former Red Devils bagsman Ruud Van Nistelrooy will take interim charge of Man United until a permanent successor is appointed, with the ex-striker experiencing a 12-month spell at the helm of Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven during the 2022-23 term, leading the Dutch outfit to a second-placed finish.
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Following back-to-back wins over Bournemouth and relegation rivals Southampton earlier in the month, Leicester were unable to make it three victories on the bounce on Friday night, when Nottingham Forest visited the King Power Stadium and escaped back to their part of the East Midlands with three points.
Ageing like fine wine, New Zealand international Chris Wood was the man of the moment for the Tricky Trees, with the 32-year-old bagging a second-half brace to put the contest beyond the Foxes after Jamie Vardy had cancelled out Ryan Yates's opener during the first 45.
Despite the disappointment of defeat versus his former employers, Leicester boss Steve Cooper will be content with a return of six points from the last three top-flight battles, with Wednesday's visitors to Old Trafford sitting 15th in the Premier League table, five points above 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
The Foxes have already battled through two rounds of the EFL Cup this season in order to book a table at the Theatre of Dreams, with Cooper's troops comfortably beating League Two Tranmere Rovers on August 27 before squeezing past fellow four-tier outfit Walsall courtesy of a penalty-shootout triumph.
Whilst the Premier League success of 2026 and FA Cup glory of 2021 will be more prominent in the minds of supporters, Leicester are approaching an important milestone this season, with their most recent EFL Cup arriving 25 years ago in February, when the Foxes became the final team to win the competition at the old Wembley.
Team News
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Carried off on a stretcher at the home of Fenerbahce earlier this month, Man United's Antony remains on the sidelines as he recovers from a sprained ankle.
The Red Devils are light on options at centre-back due to the absences of duo Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro, with the pair suffering from ankle and foot issues respectively.
Luke Shaw is yet to feature in a competitive sense for the hosts this campaign because of a troublesome calf injury, although there is hope that the England international will return to the fold soon.
Colliding awkwardly with West Ham's Bowen on Sunday afternoon, Noussair Mazraoui is a doubt for Wednesday night's clash because of a knee complaint.
Leicester are unable to call upon the talents of striker Patson Daka (ankle), meaning that Vardy could shoulder the goalscoring burden once again for the visitors.
A stalwart for the Foxes during their promotion-winning campaign of 2023-24, Jannik Vestergaard has featured just twice in the Premier League this season due to an ankle issue.
Dislocating his shoulder earlier in the month, Hamza Choudhury is not expected to play a part for the top-flight strugglers until early December.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Lindelof, Martinez; Ugarte, Eriksen; Diallo, Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee
Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Ward; Justin, Coady, Okoli, Thomas; Soumare, Skipp; McAteer, El Khannouss, De Cordova-Reid; Edouard.
We say: Manchester United 2-0 Leicester City
Potentially looking to take the job on permanently, interim boss Van Nistelrooy will be desperate to impress his employers as Man United face Leicester on Wednesday.
Despite the quality of the opposition, the Foxes are set to make a raft of changes to their XI, meaning that we can only imagine a defeat for the visitors to Old Trafford.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
