The Premier League kicks off with a Friday matchup between Manchester United and Leicester City in which Jose Mourinho will try to use a difficult pre-season to instil a me-against-the-world mentality in his squad and blast off into the new 2018/19 campaign with three points.
Manchester United vs Leicester City Betting Odds
Manchester United 1.5 (1/2)
Draw 4.2 (16/5)
Leicester City 8 (7/1)
Bet365 offers great betting odds for this contest, with a 2.40 line (7/5) for Manchester United to score more than 2.5 goals (if you are a Red Devil), or a 2.62 line (13/8) for Leicester City to avoid defeat (if you are a Fox).
Bet on Man Utd vs Leicester with bet365
Manchester United vs Leicester City Kick-Off Time and Date
The game at Old Trafford kicks off at 21:00 CET/GMT+2 on Friday, August 10.
Last season, Manchester United defeated Leicester City 2-0 at home and then drew 2-2 at the King Power Stadium.
Manchester United team news
Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Phil Jones returned early from their extended World Cup holidays in order to help the team be in better shape by regular season’s start. At the moment, it appears Rashford is the only one who will start, as he was the one leading the attack in Manchester’s latest pre-season friendly, a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.
Nemanja Matic and Diogo Dalot are recovering from surgeries, while Ander Herrera and Eric Bailly are doubtful as well. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Marouane Fellaini, Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia are all unlikely to feature either.
Expect starts for Matteo Darmian, Luke Shaw, Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata and newcomer Fred. Alexis Sanchez could be the difference-maker, as the Chilean has looked determined and motivated all pre-season long.
Leicester City team news
Jamie Vardy’s and Harry Maguire’s late arrivals mean they’ll likely miss the opener for The Foxes. Jonny Evans, who should be Maguire’s partner at the centre of Leicester’s defence this season, is also doubtful too. The same designations apply to Nampalys Mendy and Demarai Gray.
All of that means Daniel Amartey, Wilfred Ndidi, James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho will be counted upon more than ever by manager Claude Puel.