Manchester United has struggled so far this season. With a big game against Chelsea coming up this weekend (November 3), the team needs to win midweek to gain some sort of confidence after the result against West Ham (2-1 loss). In what should be a win for the Red Devils, there are still concerns about the quality of the team.
Potential Lineups For Manchester United
Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken over as interim manager and will look to avoid a defeat in his first game in charge. The match against Leceister City will be the first look at how Manchester United will perform after Ten Hag's sacking.
Manchester United's lineup could be similar to how it looked at the weekend. With the players they currently have available, this is one of the strongest lineups. A potential improvement could be to bench Marcus Rashford and replace him with Amad Diallo. Manuel Ugarte could also come into midfield for either Casemiro or Christian Eriksen.
Current Problems Facing Manchester United
The hope for Manchester United will be that they can create a positive result and boost morale within the squad. There were clear chances that should have been converted against West Ham, which is something that has plagued the team for seasons. Alejandro Garnacho had multiple opportunities to score, but he couldn't capitalize on any of them.
Another problem is on the defensive side of things. Manchester United bought Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui over the summer from Bayern Munich, and both have been bright spots for the team but should be showing more. The team continues to have inconsistency at the back.
🚨 BREAKING:
— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) October 29, 2024
Luke Shaw has suffered another setback in his recovery from a calf injury. #MUFC [@samuelluckhurst] pic.twitter.com/vtI3Qkw8xA
Injuries have been a key issue for this Manchester United side. Both Andre Onana and Mazraoui finished out the game against West Ham but suffered injuries. It is yet to be seen whether they will both play against Leceister on Wednesday. Hopefully, defender Leny Yoro will be back soon to offer another option for the new manager. He's been sidelined since pre-season with a foot injury.
Predictions for Manchester United vs Leceister
Manchester United is favored to win this match, despite their current streak of poor performances. Leceister lost at the weekend to Nottingham Forest and currently sit one place below Manchester United at 15th in the Premier League table. The contest will most likely be a tight one, but Manchester United should be favored a little bit more.
As for results in the EFL Cup, United hammered Barnsley 7-0, which featured several standout performances from the Red Devils. Erikson, Garnacho, and Rashford all had braces against Barnsley, along with a penalty from Antony. Meanwhile, Leceister thrashed their first-round opponent Tranmere, 4-0. In a closer match, Leceister overcame Walsall 3-0 on penalties. The third-round matchup will allow both teams to bounce back from losses at the weekend.