Manchester United know that a positive result is crucial when they travel to face Leicester on the last day of the Premier League season this weekend.
A victory would guarantee Leicester’s qualification for next season’s Champions League only for the second time in its history, while a draw would be enough for United to consolidate its position in the top four.
United are undefeated in their last 10 Premier League games against Leicester, while the Foxes have won just one of their 13 home league games against United (D4 L8), beating them 5-3 in September 2014.
Looking at the first team news, Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly are happy to be back, while Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones have been scrapped.
Next, our MEN United writers choose their teams to take on Leicester.
Samuel Luckhurst
As long as Shaw is in shape, United has to go with his first XI. That is not necessarily a reflection of force; Victor Lindelof isn’t exactly deserving of starts at the moment, but United haven’t even had a center back on the bench in their last two games. But it has been the winning formula that has effectively led them to this position.
There’s no justification for dropping any of the top six, despite some abject individual performances on Monday. The alternatives are not reliable enough in the current form, so United should persist in the hope that the four-day gap between matches will improve.
The United regulars will not play again until August 10 in the quarterfinals of the Europa League, so it would be illogical to ‘rest’ any of them.
Rico fay
United’s recap is simple before their trip to King Power Stadium, and their team selection should be equally straightforward for the game that defines the season.
Defense changes are needed where Shaw must take a chance on the left side, while Wan-Bissaka is a direct replacement for the unconvincing Fosu-Mensah.
Leicester doesn’t have Maddison for the matchup, so there are arguments to suggest that McTominay gets a game, but if it’s adequate, Matic offers much more reliable defensive coverage.
Up front is as expected with Greenwood, Rashford and Martial leading the line. Mata and James should be used from the bench if things are not going to plan.
Dominic Booth
United have had two major problems in recent games: fatigue plagued some of their key players and a lack of quality options to get off the bench.
This team, therefore, solves both problems. It is a great decision to leave Pogba and Rashford on the bench, but Fred and Odion Ighalo are more than skillful and specialists in their positions within this 4-2-3-1 system. If Ighalo has a great opportunity, you would endorse him to save it, while Fred and Matic complement each other very well and Fernandes.
The last five choose themselves, with Shaw as a must if he is fit. Rashford and Pogba are obvious impact submarines if the game is not going down United’s path. But with a few changes, hopefully the team is cool enough.
Choose your team to face Leicester using the selector above.
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