Leicester City will entertain Manchester United on Saturday bidding to become the first team since Leeds United in 2000 to start December as the Premier League league leaders outside the division’s top five clubs. The Foxes were tipped as certs to go down when they made Claudio Ranieri Nigel Pearson’s replacement over the summer, but they’ve lost just once in the league all season and are currently the division’s top goal scorers (28).
While Ranieri can do no wrong at the moment, his counter part on Saturday is starting to feel the wrath of both the United fans and the press, which is an extraordinary feat when you consider Louis van Gaal can take United top of the table with a win over the Foxes.
The King Power Stadium will play host to first versus second in a top of the table clash between the Premier League’s most potent attack and the division’s meanest defence, but who edges the combined XI using WhoScored.com’s rating system from those to have made at least seven league appearances this season?
United are currently on a run of more than 15 hours without conceding a goal from open play in all competitions, so it comes as no surprise to learn that Chris Smalling, who has arguably been United’s best player this season, and Daley Blind form the heart of the defence in this XI. This partnership looked like one of Van Gaal’s biggest weak points at the start of the season, but they’ve proven to be impenetrable and the most reliable aspect of the United team. In fact, no team has conceded fewer goals in the league this season (9) and Smalling’s rating of 7.37 means he is among the highest rated defenders in the league.
Looking to put an end to their phenomenal defensive record, will be Leicester’s talismanic forward duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. For Vardy, this fixture holds extra significance as he looks to become the first player in Premier League history to score in 11 consecutive league matches. The division’s top goalscorer (13) is currently level with former United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, but will enter uncharted waters in the Premier League era with a goal here.
While Vardy has proven more than capable of carving out his own chances (something that distinguishes him from Van Nistelrooy), he will still be hoping Mahrez can continue his own fine start to the season to help him set a new scoring record. There are only three more prolific assist to goal scorer combinations this season than Mahrez to Vardy (3), and only six players have created more chances than the Algeria international thus far (29). Moreover, Mahrez finds himself in the company of Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez as the league’s most successful dribblers (all 44), whereas on the continental scene, only Neymar (8.72) has garnered a higher WhoScored rating across Europe’s top 5 leagues than Mahrez (8.25).
Vardy and Mahrez have courted all of the attention behind Leicester’s meteoric start to the season, but there should also be a notable mention for summer signing N’Golo Kanté, who has proven a dynamic shield in front of their back four. Despite the fact Leicester have conceded at least seven more goals than any of those in the top five this season, it arguably could have been far worse for Ranieri’s men without Kanté presence. Indeed, no player has completed as many interceptions as Kante in the Premier League this season (55).
There is notably no position for United captain Wayne Rooney, who has found his position come underfire this season following a string of disappointing displays. England’s all-time record scorer has only managed to find the back of the net on two occasions in 11 league matches this term and many believe he should be watching on from the bench come kick-off on Saturday.
For more stats on Leicester vs United, click here to visit the WhoScored detailed match preview
