Primetime Premier League: Will Man United record another league victory?

Manchester United’s trip to Leicester is a pivotal Premier League fixture for both sides. Can Erik ten Hag’s men continue building momentum, or will the Foxes grab their first win?

Red Devils look for three straight

Manchester United are already back in sight of the Champions League places after a couple of dreadful performances to open the season, thanks in part to Chelsea and Liverpool’s own spluttering starts to the campaign.

Two wins from their last two fixtures suggests the Red Devils are starting to turn a corner, and they now travel to the King Power with genuine hopes of victory on Thursday night.

It looks likely that Ten Hag’s side will continue their winning run and they are available at 2.18 with SBK. But can Brendan Rodgers’s Leicester cause an upset? The Foxes have replaced United at the foot of the table after collecting just one point so far, and look in serious danger of the drop. You can back them at 3.45 in this game.

Leicester lagging behind

Leicester have had a tough summer. Not only have they lost their best centre-back, Wesley Fofana, to Chelsea, but key midfielder Youri Tielemans could also be sold to any number of suitors. Meanwhile, they have made pitifully slow progress in terms of adding to their squad. So far, only goalkeeper Alex Smithies has arrived on a free transfer.

This lacklustre transfer campaign has been reflected with the side’s on-field performances. They prop up the standings after four matches, having lost successive games to Arsenal, Southampton and Chelsea.

A 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge would not be generally considered a disaster, but it might be Leicester’s biggest indictment so far. Rodgers’ side played against ten men for more than an hour and yet still conceded twice against a struggling Blues side.

Pivotal period for United

Manchester United, on the other hand, are bouncing back. Their 1-0 win over Saints at the weekend was not spectacular, but it backed up the brilliant 2-1 victory over Liverpool five days earlier. Furthermore, it ended a wretched run of seven straight away defeats in the Premier League, stretching back to February.

Erik ten Hag: heads to Leicester and hopes his Manchester United side will pick up another three points

Meanwhile, manager Erik ten Hag will be looking forward to putting this difficult transfer window behind him. Even if they missed out on top target Frenkie de Jong, they appear to have amassed a strong squad on paper - although United have historically struggled translating that on to the pitch.

Ten Hag’s next role will be to mould the squad into his image. Early signs suggest that it could be a prolonged process, but winning this match will help with their first target of achieving Champions League football. 

Foxes’ five-game streak

Leicester are undefeated in their last five matches against Manchester United, including successive home victories over the Red Devils. However, they come into this match in a distinctly beat-up condition and a point against an improving outfit would be a decent outcome. The Red Devils at odds-against are too good to overlook, though.

Don’t expect the win to come easily for United, however. They gave up an xG of 1.61 against Southampton at the weekend, while Leicester have scored a creditable six goals in four games, showing that they are a capable offensive unit. Given the Foxes’ inability to be effective in their own box, though, it is likely to be a high-scoring match. 

As such, Manchester United to win and both teams to score at 3.7 looks nice value, while backing both teams to score and over 2.5 goals is a safer bet at 1.86.

Recommended bets

Back Manchester United @ 2.18
Back Both teams to score & Over 2.5 goals @ 1.86