Man United v Leicester: Predicted Starting XI and what to Expect

At the back, it would be strange to not see Ricardo Periera and Conor Coady in the starting XI. Therefore, I would expect James Justin (defensively better than Victor Kristiansen), Coady, Wout Faes, and Pereira. I liked what we saw of ‘Ricky P’ against Forest, if not his best performance, it would be concerning to see Cooper revert back to the Kristiansen-Justin fullback partnership.

In midfield, Harry Winks and Facundo Buonanotte will likely be rested. Hence, I feel the strongest players would then be Oliver Skipp, Boubakary Soumare, and Bilal El Khannouss. ‘Bouba’ looked bright against Forest, Skipp has been decent since coming in, and Khannouss definitely needs some time to adjust to the style of competition and play before being a regular in the Premier League team. The trio would be defensively competent, good at passing and ball retention, and should offer plenty of options for Cooper systematically.

Upfront will see the most changes. Jordan Ayew has been decent for the Foxes since signing, so will probably start the game on one of the two wings. The player would sit more centrally, allowing an overlapping fullback like Pereira to maraud forward into the final third and towards the byline for a whipped cross into the danger zone. I would have hoped Kasey Mcateer would get a chance, but I would bet on Bobby De-Cordova Reid starting. Odsonne Edouard will start so Jamie Vardy can be conserved for EPL fixtures.