Football – England – Premier League
Saturday 31st January 2015 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Since racking up six straight wins in the Premier League during November and midway through December, Manchester United have posted just two additional wins in their last six matches as league leaders Chelsea draw ever further away from them.
This will not be van Gaal’s year in terms of winning the domestic league title, but the Red Devils are still very much in the frame for a top three finish which would bring back Champions League football back to Old Trafford next season after a brief hiatus.
United still have a pretty solid home record despite the nay-sayers, which stands at 8-1-2 22/8, and perhaps even more impressive is their defensive record as they hold the third best record at home in the Premier League even without van Gaal strengthening this department before the season began.
But of course it’s their attacking prowess and personnel that are their biggest threat, and I fancy them to come out all guns blazing this afternoon as they look to grab the match by the scruff of its neck.
Leicester City actually turned over their hosts earlier in the season when they beat Manchester United 5-3 at their King Power Stadium as they staged a memorable comeback to take the points. But since that famous victory, the two clubs’ seasons have mapped out very differently – United currently sit in fourth place while Leicester City sit bottom of the division.
A horrid thirteen-match run without a win didn’t help The Foxes of course who have stuck by manager Nigel Pearson, and in fact, Leicester have turned things around recently with wins over Hull City and Aston Villa along with a draw against Liverpool at Anfield.
Leicester’s away record stands at 2-1-8 7/18 and they’ve kept just two clean sheets on their travels to date.
It’s very hard not to see Manchester United not scoring here today, and with the attacking depth that they possess, I fancy them to be ahead at half-time and full-time hence my pick; could be a 3-0 win for the hosts.
Pick: Manchester United HT/FT @ 1.83 bet365
