Leicester vs Man Utd: FA Cup Preview | Confirmed Team News | Expected Line-ups

Man Utd will take a trip to the King Power Stadium this afternoon as they go head-to-head with Leicester, battling for a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

It has been a long time since these two teams last met in the competition. The last encounter came in 1976 with Man Utd winning 2-1 in the fifth-round and in the 1963 final where Man Utd won 3-1 to lift the trophy.

Leicester do not have a good record with FA Cup quarter-finals as they have lost their last five ties. Whereas, if Man Utd were to win, this would be their 31^st time reaching the semi-finals.

Team News

After the return of Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek and David de Gea mid-week, the only two players who will definitely remain out are Juan Mata and Phil Jones. However, there are still doubts for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about the fitness of some of his players.

Three players falling into this category are Anthony Martial, Edinson Cavani and Eric Bailly who all failed to make the travelling squad to Milan on Thursday.

Speaking about Cavani in his pre-match press conference, Solskjaer said, “hopefully he can be ready for Sunday but I’m not sure either, because after training yesterday he felt something that he couldn’t travel with us.”

On Martial, Solskjaer said, “He was close to getting fit for this one [the game vs AC Milan]. He couldn’t make it but hopefully he can make Sunday. I’m not sure, because he’s not reacted how we hoped. He’s working hard to get treatment, in the pool, light work and everything to get ready.”

Therefore, it looks like both of Utd’s centre-forwards remain a doubt for today’s game. This may give Mason Greenwood another chance to star as a number 9, with Solskjaer commending his recent performances saying, “He’s really matured and his performances are top class.”

Marcus Rashford is also a doubt after being replaced by Paul Pogba at half-time in their game against AC Milan on Thursday. Speaking about the number 10 in his post-match press conference, Solskjaer said, “Marcus was feeling something. We didn’t want to take any risks. I think he’ll be alright.”

Nevertheless, with the return of Paul Pogba, Solskjaer will not be too concerned. Speaking about the Frenchman’s fitness in relation to the quarter-final, Solskjaer said, “We’ll have to see how much he can play. I’m not sure if he can play 90 minutes or if he can start, but you see the impact he can make if he comes on as a sub.”

Leicester City have been dealt multiple injury blows. Ricardo Peraira, James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Cengiz Under, James Justin and Wes Morgan are all out with injury.

However, Dennis Praet is likely to be available for selection again after being out for two months with a hamstring injury.

Expected Line-ups

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Pogba, Fernandes, James; Greenwood.

As David De Gea travelled with the squad and would have been available to play on Thursday evening, he should reclaim his position as Utd’s number one goalie for this important fixture.

At the back, there is unlikely to be any changes as the fitness of Eric Bailly is still unknown. Alex Telles will be pushing for a recall, however with Luke Shaw in such good form, Telles may have to settle for being used as a sub if the game is going Utd’s way.

Fred and Scott McTominay are likely to keep their partnership as the two defensive midfielders for Utd. With Donny van de Beek back from injury, he should be used at some point during the game to give the team some freshness and creativity.

With Rashford, Martial and Cavani all facing late fitness tests, Paul Pogba may get another chance to start on the left-wing. This would give Utd a creative edge, as the Frenchman can link up with both Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw to exploit any spaces in Leicester’s defence.

Dan James is likely to keep his spot on the right-wing and Mason Greenwood up front as even if Martial or Cavani return, they are more likely to be used as an impact substitue.

Leicester (5-2-1-2): Schmeichel; Thomas, Fofana, Evans, Soyuncu, Castagne; Ndidi, Tielemans; Perez; Iheanacho, Vardy.

As Leicester had no games mid-week, the whole squad should be fresh for the game against Utd. This means there will most likely only be one change made – forced through injury – with Luke Thomas starting in the place of Ricardo Pereira.