Manchester United will take on Leicester City in yet another mouth-watering clash in the Premier League on Saturday in the opening encounter of gameweek 6. Both the sides had also faced each other last month in the FA Community Shield, where Jose Mourinho's side got past Claudio Ranieri's side with a 2-1 result at Wembley.
Going into the clash, both sides know the importance of getting their season back on track following a slump they have been witnessing for some time now. While the defending Premier League champions have two wins, two defeats and a draw so far in the domestic league where they are 11th, Manchester United are seeing some troubling times after losing two PL games on the trot and slumping to the seventh position in the table.
United forward Anthony Martial will not play a part in the match on Saturday owing to "a contusion in the calf and in the ankle area." The rest of the United players, besides Phil Jones, are fit to take part in the game. A major shadow of doubt, however, is over the participation of Red Devils talisman Wayne Rooney, who had a flop show during England's match against Slovakia in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers earlier this month.
Mourinho has confirmed that the player's morale is horribly down at the moment after facing severe criticism for his performance in the international match. "I think there was a Wayne before the Slovakia-England and a Wayne after the Slovakia-England. [In] football everyone is the same and if he [Rooney] has to go on the bench, he goes on the bench," Mourinho said.
"If he has to stay at home, he stays at home. But that doesn't mean that you don't trust him or you have a problem. Not at all. We have no problems. He is our captain but, of course, no privilege - he is like anyone else," the Portuguese coach added on the forward's availability for United against Leicester.
Leicester, meanwhile, who come to the game at the back of a 3-0 win against Burnley, might still see goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel sitting out, as the Denmark star picked up an ankle strain after overcoming concussion. Marcin Wasilewski, meanwhile, remains suspended following his red card against Chelsea.
"We are fearless. Why are we scared to go there [Old Trafford]? More than lose, what can we do there?" Ranieri said in the pre-match conference. "I enjoy - 70,000 people is amazing, fantastic. I don't want to go when there is just you and me to play. It is a very bad show. When you go in this big stadium you want to show your best," he added.
Schedule
Manchester United vs Leicester City kicks off at 12:30 p.m. BST (5 p.m. IST, 7:30 a.m. EST) at Old Trafford on September 24.
Where to watch live
India: TV: Star Sports 4/HD 4. Live streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD, Now TV. Live streaming: Sky Go.
USA: TV: NBC Sports Network. Live streaming: NBC Sports Live.
