Man Utd and Leicester City will go head-to-head in the FA Cup fourth round at Old Trafford on Friday night, as both teams look to progress to the next round and turn around their recent bad form.
Ruben Amorim’s side progressed to this stage after a penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the previous round, and come into this game on the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side beat Championship side QPR 6-2 in the third-round to set up this game, but were thrashed 4-0 by Everton in their last fixture.
Both sides have got injury problems and are desperate to turn their fortunes around in this game, leaving the managers with decisions to make about how they will line up following the transfer window’s closure.
Man Utd Team News
Luke Shaw suffers setback
After defeat to Crystal Palace, Man Utd were handed further bad news after Lisandro Martinez was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury picked up during the game while Luke Shaw suffered another setback in his quest to return to action.
Mason Mount remains sidelined too, but there is potential for both Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven to make their debuts after joining the club during the January transfer window from Lecce and Arsenal respectively.
|
Man Utd Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Lisandro Martinez |
Knee |
No Return Date |
|
Luke Shaw |
Calf |
01/03/2025 |
|
Mason Mount |
Calf |
Unknown |
|
Jonny Evans |
Knock |
Unknown |
Amorim Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Amorim shared an update on the squad ahead of the game.
“Licha [Martinez] is a difficult situation. He’s going to be out for a while.
“We don’t know the extent of the injury but it’s an injury that is going to take time. Luke, just a little bit, one small issue in a different area from the last injury, so we’ll try to be careful with Luke.
“We’ll see [if Dorgu or Heaven play]. You guys have to wait for tomorrow! But they are ready to play and they are two more solutions to help us in this moment.”
Man Utd Predicted XI
Dorgu to make his debut
- Man Utd Predicted XI: Bayindir; Yoro, De Ligt, Heaven; Mazraoui, Collyer, Mainoo, Dorgu; Amad, Zirkzee, Fernandes.
- Man Utd Predicted Substitutes: Onana (GK), Maguire (DEF), Lindelof (DEF), Dalot (DEF), Eriksen (MID), Casemiro (MID), Ugarte (MID), Garnacho (FWD), Hojlund (FWD).
With Amorim now stuck with this squad for the rest of the season, he is likely to give the new players a chance to make an impression which should see Dorgu and Heaven handed a start as part of the back five.
In midfield there is a chance for Toby Collyer to get a rare start, while Joshua Zirkzee is likely to start up front after the failed experiment at the weekend that saw no traditional striker named in the starting lineup. That should see the likes of Onana, Maguire, Casemiro and Hojlund – who earn a combined £745,000-per-week – named on the bench.
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Leicester Team News
Ndidi set to return
Leicester have been on a horror run of form in recent weeks with eight defeats in their last nine games in the Premier League, but Van Nistelrooy is now hopeful that the injury situation at the club is beginning to ease up.
Wilfred Ndidi is set to return to the squad after a period on the sidelines and will be in the squad, while the manager has also confirmed that 15-year-old Jeremy Monga and 16-year-old Jake Evans will also be in the squad for the FA Cup tie at Old Trafford.
|
Leicester Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Ricardo Pereira |
Thigh |
27/02/2025 |
|
Issahaku Fatawu |
Knee |
04/08/2025 |
Van Nistelrooy Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Van Nistelrooy shared an update on his squad for the game.
“Wilf is fine. He had a great week of training, last week and this week. He’ll be part of the squad tomorrow.
“There’s a couple [of players] with some light injuries. They will be assessed today if they can travel or not. There’s two or three with light injuries who are doubtful tomorrow. We’ll see when we announce the squad.”
Leicester Predicted XI
Buonanotte to start
- Leicester Predicted XI: Stolarczyk; Coulibaly, Coady, Okoli, Kristiansen; Soumare, Skipp; Buonanotte, El Khannouss, Mavididi; Vardy.
- Leicester Predicted Substitutes: Hermansen (GK), Justin (DEF), Faes (DEF), Vestergaard (DEF), Winks (MID), McAteer (MID), Daka (FWD), Ayew (FWD), De Cordova-Reid (FWD).
Van Nistelrooy is in need of a result and will know this Man Utd team better than most having spent time at the club in the first half of the campaign, so he’s likely to pick an attacking squad to go for them.
Stolarczyk should come into the net despite Hermansen’s return recently having played in the cup competitions so far this season, while Facundo Buonanotte and Stephy Mavididi should get the nod out wide to add more pace in attack.
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