Manchester United will look to continue their recent winning streak when they face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Thursday.
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The fifth match week of the 2022/23 Premier League season opens on Thursday with a game at the King Power Stadium. Leicester City will host Manchester United on that day. The hosts will be looking to record their first win of the season, while the visitors will be hoping to build on their good form.
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Leicester City probably would not have thought they'd be at the bottom of the Premier League table at the start of the 2022/23 season, even though the Midlands club has not spent much money. But Brendan Rodgers has failed to get his side going so far, with the Foxes picking up just one point from four games so far. Leicester's last three matches ended in defeat.
Like Leicester, Manchester United is also at the bottom of the Premier League table after two defeats in the first two games of the season. But the Red Devils have found their form in the last two games, beating Liverpool and Southampton by a one-goal margin to settle in the top half of the table ahead of the final week of fixtures. Erik ten Hag hopes Manchester United's current run continues.
Last season, Leicester City came from a goal down to beat Manchester United 4-2, which was the beginning of the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Red Devils coach. Ahead of the two sides' latest clash, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Brendan Rodgers has no injury worries that could affect his preparations for the game against Manchester United. On Thursday, the Leicester City coach could be without as many as three first-team players.
Rodgers is particularly worried about the fitness of James Maddison. The England playmaker is recovering from a stroke but could be called into action against Manchester United. Ricardo Pereira (hamstring) and Ryan Bertrand (knee) remain out due to their injuries.
Since Kasper Schmeichel's departure from the King Power Stadium, Danny Ward has established himself as Leicester City's new regular goalkeeper. The Welsh international has his team playing a 4-3-3 formation against Manchester United, with Timothy Castagne and James Justing forming the two full-backs.
Daniel Amartey will continue to form Leicester City's central defence along with former Manchester United centre back Jonny Evans as the Foxes continue to search for a replacement for Wesley Fofana, who has left for Chelsea FC. Up front in midfield, Wilfred Ndidi will be hoping to make a return to the starting eleven.
Ndidi will try to limit the performance of Bruno Fernandes, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Youri Tielemans will support him in defence. However, Dewsbury-Hall and Tielemans will primarily provide the forward momentum Leicester need from midfield.
Jamie Vardy will lead Leicester City's attack against Manchester United and will try to use his lethal change of pace against Raphael Varane. Also, the tricky Harvey Barnes can cause Diogo Dalot some problems with his nimbleness. Finally, Ayoze Perez should return to the team if Madison is not fit enough to start.
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Like his counterpart at Leicester City, Erik ten Hag should have the same resources at his disposal ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium as he did last weekend. The Manchester United coach will have to do without four first-team players on Thursday.
The biggest absentee for Manchester United is Anthony Martial, with the Frenchman suffering from an Achilles tendon injury. Martial is unlikely to feature against Leicester, but he is likely to be back in the starting eleven for the weekend against Arsenal, where more is at stake. The other players on the sidelines are Victor Lindelof, Brandon Williams and Facundo Pellistri.
David de Gea continues to be Manchester United's best goalkeeper despite his weaknesses in Erik ten Hag's system. The visitors will play a 4-2-3-1 formation against Leicester City, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez continuing to form a solid central defence.
The duo once again made a solid impression against Southampton last weekend and will look to build on their partnership. Diogo Dalot is currently irreplaceable at right-back, while Tyrell Malacia looks set to replace Luke Shaw on the left after some solid performances.
Casemiro is expected to make his first appearance for Manchester United against Leicester after coming off the bench for his debut on Saturday. The Brazil international will bolster Manchester United's midfield, while Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes will provide defensive support.
Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes will also provide the creative impetus from central midfield, pushing Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho forward.
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