Here we go, a Championship Sunday fixture that will have both the stakes and the feel of a tournament knock-out round match when Leciester City will host Manchester United. Top 4, and thus UCL qualification, is on the line here.
“We’ve given ourselves a great opportunity,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said after the 1-1 draw with West Ham United last night. “We wanted to give ourselves the chance to head there and get into the Champions League by beating them. Now, we’d be OK with a draw, but we’ll be going there to win. You’ll prepare as you always do to go and win the game.”
As for Leicester, they have greatly exceeded expectations this season, no one expected them to be in this position on the season’s final day.
“We’ve got a game where we’ve got a shot at being in the Champions League,” said Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers.
“Our target was the arrive in the top six, which at the beginning of the season, would have been a great achievement for us. However, it’s a 38-game season and we have an opportunity to still be in there. If we don’t do it, of course there will be a bit of disappointment, but there will also be gratification in terms of what the players have done and what they’ve given.”
Of course, the hosts have to lament some opportunities squandered. Back on Valentine’s Day, before the swoon started, they had a commanding lead on not just the top four, but third place. They haven’t been very good in the restart period while United haven’t lost a league game in 13.
Let’s take a look at who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may select for his starting XI in this one.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Leicester City (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Fosu-Mensah; Pogba, Matic; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
Championship Sunday FYIs
Kickoff: 4pm BST/11am ET, July 26, King Power Stadium
Team news for both sides: go to this link
TV/streaming: NBC, NBCSports.com
Odds: United (+123) Leicester (+220), Draw (+245)
Prediction: Leicester 2, United 2
Although United are favored, it’s only very slightly, and they’ll head into this match with much less rest. That’s a major factor of the Red Devils have certainly looked overworked lately. However, they are much more closer to full fitness right now and with the Leicester sans some key players, I believe the visitors will get the result they need here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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