Team News
Marcus Rashford’s departure marked the close of Manchester United’s transfer window, while Alejandro Garnacho remained at the club. However, Rúben Amorim’s request for a new striker was not fulfilled—just days after he opted for Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine ahead of Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee. United’s injury woes deepened with Lisandro Martínez suffering an ACL tear in the defeat to Crystal Palace, ruling him out for the rest of the season. He joins Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans, and Mason Mount on the sidelines, while Tyrell Malacia has departed on loan to PSV Eindhoven. New signing Patrick Dorgu could make his debut, while Altay Bayındır is in line for a rare start following his impressive display in the third-round victory over Arsenal.
For Leicester, Mads Hermansen returned from injury last weekend but has yet to feature in any cup competitions, meaning Jakub Stolarczyk could reclaim his place in goal. Wilfred Ndidi is nearing a return from a thigh problem, though Ricardo Pereira and Abdul Fatawu remain sidelined. Meanwhile, Ruud van Nistelrooy may opt for a more attacking approach following their poor showing against Everton, with Facundo Buonanotte and Stephy Mavididi pushing for starting roles, while Jannik Vestergaard is expected to drop out.
Form Guide
A 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend saw Manchester United slump to a run of form not witnessed since the 19th century. While Amorim has masterminded memorable cup victories over Manchester City and Arsenal, United’s league form has been woeful, with Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Palace all winning at Old Trafford with little resistance. The Red Devils are languishing in 13th place, just three points clear of 16th-placed Everton, meaning their best hope of European football next season lies in either the FA Cup or the Europa League. This fixture presents a favourable draw for United, who boast an impressive record in this competition at home. They have not lost any of their last 18 FA Cup ties at Old Trafford in regular time, winning 16, with Arsenal being the last visiting side to triumph here in 2014/15.
Leicester, meanwhile, have already fallen to two defeats at Old Trafford this season—a 5-2 EFL Cup loss and a 3-0 Premier League setback. Intriguingly, those defeats were orchestrated by none other than Van Nistelrooy, who was in interim charge of United before taking the reins at Leicester weeks later. Last season, Leicester were eliminated in the quarter-finals as a Championship club, falling to Chelsea. But morale is significantly lower this term, with the Foxes enduring a miserable run of eight defeats in nine league games.
Even extending their impressive record of seven wins from their last eight FA Cup fourth-round ties appears unlikely. Just a week after a stunning victory over Tottenham Hotspur, they were dismantled 4-0 by Everton, a result that left them nine points adrift in the relegation battle. Wolves’ win later that evening saw Leicester drop back into the bottom three, and with no major reinforcements arriving in January, Van Nistelrooy faces an uphill battle to turn things around.
Predicted Outcome
Manchester United have already enjoyed two comfortable home wins over Leicester this season, and despite their struggles under Amorim, this match should provide some respite. We predict Man United will get a 2-1 win this time around. Leicester boss Van Nistelrooy was responsible for those two defeats earlier in the season, and the travelling fans will hope he can engineer a stunning turnaround. However, given their abysmal showing at Goodison Park last weekend, an upset looks highly improbable.