Foxes to nip United's revival in the bud
Second meets third at the King Power Stadium for the lunchtime Boxing Day kick-off. Manchester United have been in fine form recently (Champions League exit aside), and can boast a perfect record away from home in domestic competition, claiming maximum points from six matches on the road. Only the Foxes themselves can come close to the Red Devils in that regard, but will be hoping that two teams set up principally to play on the counter-attack will favour the hosts, with the visitors more susceptible to fall behind and turning in erratic performances. Read our preview here:
Justin's house
An oft-overlooked factor this term in Leicester's ascent to the runners-up place at the time of writing has been the influence and importance of the full-backs, whether deployed in a four or three as has been the case lately. Brendan Rodgers can always rely on them to turn in dynamic displays, and Timothy Castagne should pass a fitness test to resume his place on the right. On the opposite flank, James Justin's versatility has been key in holding down the fort in the absence of many of the wider players for parts of the campaign. He's started to make that berth his own with a string of impressive displays, and doesn't slack in the defensive department either; his well-timed tackles win back possession time and time again, and whilst he won't be up against an especially attack-minded adversary, he'll need to help out Christian Fuchs with the pace and movement of Mason Greenwood or Daniel James (the latter turned in a brilliant cameo against Leeds United in the last league encounter).
Pogback?
It's been a brilliant week on the pitch for the red half of Manchester. Even without the fans at Old Trafford, they raced out of the traps against their rivals from West Yorkshire, and put them to the sword to the tune of six in an eight-goal thriller. Scott McTominay would've been one of the last names on the teamsheet a punter would bet on to grab a brace, and especially in such quick fashion. The Scottish international is a doubt for Boxing Day, however, and that will inevitably change the complexion of the double pivot. Nemanja Matić would be the most natural replacement, but would come at the cost of sacrificing agility for solidity, and that would be risky against the probing of Youri Tielemans and the trickery of James Maddison. Paul Pogba could be given a start in that role, and if so, he must be careful not to abandon his post too often.
We three kings of Power are
The clash should be a superb, closely-fought one. United's recent uptick cannot go on forever, but they have proven themselves capable of sustained runs of form under the shaky auspices of Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Edinson Cavani saw off Everton in the EFL Cup close to the death in sublime fashion, and most of the tools are at the manager's disposal to change things from the bench if he finds his charges behind, which has often happened in 2020/2021. Leicester, despite setbacks against both teams from Merseyside thus far, have ably demonstrated they're behind only Liverpool on merit, especially by reducing a dangerous Tottenham Hotspur outfit to zero goals. They're surprisingly long odds for a win on their home turf, and you can take advantage of this with betway at 3.00.
