Leicester, United Set to Shake off EFL Cup Disappointment

M anchester United head to Leicester City with both sides looking for a reversal of fortunes after their respective EFL Cup disappointments.
United were dumped out of the competition on Wednesday night by Championship side Bristol City, who shocked the holders with a last-gasp 2-1 win.
Leicester’s recent upturn in form was halted by a crushing 3-0 Premier League home defeat against Crystal Palace last weekend, with the Foxes going on to lose an EFL Cup penalty shootout at home to Man City.
United sit second but still 11 points behind pace-setters Manchester City, and must realistically win nearly every remaining game – starting at the King Power – to stand any chance of catching Pep Guardiola’s men.

Leicester and Manchester United will look to put midweek cup disappointments behind them when they return to Premier League duty this evening.
Leicester’s bubble under Claude Puel was burst in emphatic fashion last week when their run of four straight wins was brought to an abrupt halt with a 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace. A Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester City followedon Tuesday and 24 hours later, United were shocked by Bristol City in the same competition.
United remain the closest challengers to runaway leaders Manchester City at the top of the Premier League – albeit 11 points behind  and will need a win at the 2015/16 champions to maintain any semblance of pressure on their rivals.
However, Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho has warned players who were humbled at Bristol City they will not be in contention against Leicester. The surprise 2-1 League Cup quarterfinal defeat at the hands of a Championship club means United will not retain the trophy that Mourinho won last season, his first as manager at Old Trafford.
More relevant to the futures of some of his fringe players, the performance means they will not be considered when Mourinho focuses on the more urgent matter of trying to cut into Manchester City’s 11-point lead at the top of the table.

“The reality is that the ones that were on the pitch were the ones that were not in the last (league) match and are the ones that not going to be in the next match. I think they lost a good opportunity also to play semifinals and also to have two more matches to play,” he said.
To add to the manager’s damning appraisal of the defeat, Mourinho also said some of his players did not even want to “come to the office” as Bristol pulled off one of the season’s major cup surprises.
Paul Pogba, who returned at Bristol following a three-match suspension, is presumably exempt from such criticism.
And Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who started his first game of the season in the upset, is likely also to be involved at Leicester although, with doubts persisting over his match fitness, he may only be on the bench.

To worsen Mourinho’s mood, and his team’s preparation for the Leicester game, they did not return to Manchester until 0500 GMTon Thursday after fog forced the cancellation of their private flight.

Leicester host Mourinho’s side on the back of their own League Cup defeat on Wednesday to United’s cross-city rivals Manchester City.

But having taken Pep Guardiola’s side to penalties, Foxes defender Christian Fuchs said the former Premier League champions, revitalised under new manager Claude Puel, will enter the weekend with confidence.

“It gives us a good feeling with the way we played,” he said. “We didn’t win but we kept possession, it felt good and it gives us confidence back. We’re happy with the performance. The feeling of disappointment we have now, we can be proud and go into the United game with a good feeling,” he said.

Meanwhile, Manchester City can give themselves an early Christmas present with a win when they welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad Stadium today.

Victory over the Cherries would see Pep Guardiola’s side move 14 points clear of Manchester United – temporarily at least – and it would stretch their unbeaten run in the league to 19 games.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, are in desperate need of a win as they slip towards a relegation battle, but it must be said that Eddie Howe’s men have had a difficult run of games in recent weeks.

Having already had encounters with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man United this December, things don’t get any easier as they travel north west to City.