Manchester United vs Leicester City Match Preview

The Premier League campaign is only two games old, but already this game has the feeling of one that might have a large bearing on the fortunes of the sides involved.

Manchester United have started the season like a runaway train, while at times Leicester City have shown the kind of form that led them to the most unexpected title triumph in the history of English football.

So who will prevail in Saturday’s late kick off?

Match Odds

The bookmakers have installed Manchester United as the odds-on favourites for this match, with a best price of 3/10 available with bet365, and it is hard to argue with that sentiment.

The Red Devils come into the game on the back of a pair of 4-0 victories over West Ham and Swansea. As if further evidence was needed of their dominance, United won the shots on target count by 5-1 (West Ham) and 8-0 (Swansea), which confirms that both facets of their game are in fine working order at present.

That said, Leicester could well be sitting pretty with six points from six as well. They led Arsenal 3-2 on the opening evening of the season with just eight minutes left to play, and yet somehow conspired to throw away that advantage and succumb to a 3-4 defeat. Happily for the Foxes, the 2-0 win over Swansea exorcised any possible demons from their night of disappointment in North London.

Perhaps the definitive factor in this match could be the list of absentees. Manchester United have a clean bill of health and a full squad to choose from, while Leicester will definitely be without centre back Robert Huth and will need his fellow defenders Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan to pass ate fitness tests.

Travelling to Old Trafford with at least one of your first choice central defenders absent is not ideal, and with the Foxes also without defensive midfield ‘shields’ in Dany Drinkwater and Vicente Iborra, Manchester United look worthy of their short price with the sportsbooks.

Individual Goal Scorers

Romelu Lukaku is what we might call a ‘streaky striker’. The Belgian tends to score his goals in bursts, before going quiet for a period. Last season, for example, he notched 25 league goals for Everton, and went through patches of five goals in four games (September), five in seven (December-January), nine in six (February-March) and four in seven (May).

So, punters will have noted with relish that he has already bagged three in his first two outings this term, which would suggest that another goal or two is in the offing for the 24-year-old against Leicester.

Lukaku can be backed at 11/4 in the First Goalscorer market with William Hill, and a best price of 5/6 with Paddy Power in the Anytime Goalscorer category. Both are sound investments.

Other Side Bets

With eight goals scored in just 180 minutes of football, Manchester United have clearly found their attacking mojo under Jose Mourinho. He has found a way to harness the creative talents of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba, while seemingly getting the best out of Lukaku even at this early stage.

With Leicester fragile defensively at the best of times and even more so with key players possibly absent, finding an angle to support United in a goals-based market is key. Perhaps the best value comes in backing them to score in both halves – available at Evens with Betway.

Best Bets

• Manchester United to Win (3/10 with bet365)
• Romelu Lukaku Anytime Goalscorer (5/6 with Paddy Power)
• Man Utd to Score in Both Halves (Evens with Betway)